As a reference for our attendees, and to share the information with those who may not have been able to attend, here are our presenters’ slides. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Leading Approaches to Corporate Social Responsibility by Offsetters (PDF) - James Tansey

Environmental History of Cascades Fine Paper (PDF) – Bernard Hellen

Sustainability at Hemlock (PDF) – Richard Kouwenhoven

Every Monday morning, starting May 7th, we are going to ask a question on our Facebook page. By answering, you will be entered to win a personalized prize!

You can choose between a set of personalized memo pads, or a personalized journal! 1 prize given away each week.

The winner will be randomly selected from all of the entries Tuesday morning. It’s really that easy. So make sure you’ve liked us on Facebook so you’ll see the questions each week.

It is a wonderful service with many applications for our industry and others. When we were invited to become a Power User, we knew that the membership was a great fit.

What sets the Paper Calculator apart from other applications is that the Environmental Paper Network is a completely non-profit, independent organization. They rely upon donations and memberships, including Power Users and other Member Organizations, to ensure the Paper Calculator continues to operate as a free, transparent and independent resource. Their commitment to promoting resources with the lowest impact on our environment is one that mirrors our own.

Included within this was a list of helpful questions Magazines Canada suggests to ask your printer, suppliers and distributors to ensure that your suppliers support your corporate sustainability policies.

I wanted to provide Hemlock’s answers to these questions. As many of them are dependent on the specific type of paper used, which will obviously vary from project to project, we have answered them based on our 33 preferred house stocks. We do have access to thousands of different papers and would be more than happy to provide the answers for any of them upon request. If you would like to know more about any of our answers, feel free to contact either myself directly or our Sustainability Coordinator, Maria.

1. What papers do you have available that contain recycled content?

On an annual basis, Hemlock determines its line-up of preferred papers covering all fine paper categories (premium uncoated, offsets & opaques, #1, #2 and #3 coated, coated 1 side/2 side covers).  These papers are selected on the basis of proven performance, paper mill, environmental criteria and overall value.  67% of the papers within our preferred paper list contain post-consumer recycled content.

2. What percentage of recycled content do those papers contain?

• 7 out of 33 papers contain 100% PCW recycled content
• 1 contains 50% PCW recycled content
• 3 contain 30 % PCW recycled content
• 10 contain 10% PCW recycled content
• 12 contain 0% PCW recycled content

3. How much of the recycled content is post-consumer material?

The percentage of pre-consumer waste fibre within a specific grade of paper is typically not available and we consider the measure of post-consumer fibre content a more important indicator of the environmental quality of a particular paper.  As such, Hemlock only notes, tracks and communicates the post-consumer fibre content of the various papers purchased.

4. Is the virgin wood in those papers certified by a reliable stewardship system?

Yes, 29 out of 33 of our paper stocks (87%) are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the most widely endorsed forest stewardship program worldwide.

There are three types of labels for FSC:

• 100% (products made with 100% FSC-Certified virgin fibre),
• Mixed (made from a combination of FSC-Certified virgin fibre and/or recycled fibre mixed with controlled virgin fibre – minimum 70%)  and,
• Recycled (made with 100% recycled fibre; both pre and post-consumer recycled fibre).

Hemlock Printers continues to work with Canopy and paper mills & merchants to raise the standard of papers sold with increased FSC fibre and higher post-consumer content.

Since 2006 we have increased the amount of FSC certified paper purchased from 5% to 78%. We are also increasing the post-consumer waste paper fibre, currently at 30%, up from 7% in 2006.

5. Are they Ancient Forest Friendly certified?

Yes, 45% of our preferred stocks have been certified by Canopy as Ancient Forest Friendly. Hemlock has a standing Ancient Forest Friendly commitment in place with Canopy to use papers that do not come from ancient or endangered forests.

6. What kind of forest was the source of that virgin wood fibre?

The majority of paper sourced comes from the Canadian Boreal Forest of Ontario and Quebec, and also from forests in the Eastern United States.

7. What form of energy is used by the paper mills?

Each paper mill is different in where they source energy from.  Five examples we have chosen to showcase are Cascades, Mohawk, Neenah, NewPage and Sappi:

• Cascades – All of Cascades fine paper is made using biogas.  (Source: Cascades)
• Mohawk – Mohawk is replacing fossil fuels with energy generated by sources such as hydro, wind and solar power by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) and is Green-e certified. This means all of the electricity used in Mohawk’s manufacturing is matched with REC’s from Green-e certified wind power projects. (Source: Mohawk Paper)
• Neenah- Neenah Paper is replacing fossil fuels with energy generated from sources such as hydro, wind and solar power by purchasing REC’s and is Green-e certified. (Source: Neenah Paper)
• NewPage – 51 % of the energy used in 2010 came from biomass and 40% of electricity needs were generated from an on-site combined heat and power and hydropower production. (Source: New Page)
• Sappi – More than 80% of Sappi Fine Paper North America’s total energy— what they generate and what they purchase from power plants—now comes from renewable resources. Most of what they generate comes from carbon-neutral biofuels, thus reducing reliance on fossil fuels and reducing their carbon footprint. (Source: Sappi Papers)

8. Do the mills engage in any activity aimed at reducing their environmental impact?

All 5 mills have sustainability goals written in their Corporate Social Responsibility and/or Sustainability Report statements.

• Cascades (website, contains link to download 2010 Sustainable Development Plan)
• Mohawk Social Responsibility (resources & FAQs)
• Neenah Green Resources (website, contains link to download Corporate Sustainability Report)
• NewPage (website, contains link to download 2010 Sustainable Development Report)
• Sappi Sustainability (website, contains link to download 2011 Sustainability Report)

9. How far are these papers transported from the mill to the printer floor?

• Cascades – approx. 5000 km (Quebecmill)
• Mohawk – approx. 5000 km (New Yorkmill)
• Neenah– approx. 4000 km (Wisconsin mill)
• NewPage – approx. 4500 km (Michiganmill)
• Sappi – approx. 4000 km (Wisconsin mill)

Hemlock’s Zero program factors these distances in when calculating the carbon footprint in the Zero calculator.

10. By what method are they transported?

All five of the above distances are transported using a combination of rail and truck.

11. Is it possible to use a lower emission method of transport?

The lowest method of transportation available is rail, which is the primary mode of transportation for all regularly ordered and inventoried materials. Special order materials are shipped via truck.

By limiting the number of papers used and by using inventoried stock materials, we reduce overall transport materials. This is a challenging endeavor given the custom nature of the service Hemlock provides, which often requires custom materials with tight deadlines.

12. Are there papers that are manufactured closer to the printer?

Hemlock considers the transportation footprint of the paper it purchases and gives preference to those produced closer to its facility.

13. Is it possible to transport our finished magazines from the printer using a lower-emission method of transportation?

Yes, new methods of lower emissions truck transport are emerging and in fact, UPS now offers carbon neutral shipping and will match offsets by up to US $ 1 million. Carbon neutral shipping options from UPS, coupled with carbon neutral print jobs through Hemlock’s Zero program provide complimentary choices for any project you want to feel good about printing.  Learn more at Offsetters.

14. How can we maximize sell-through rates and make operations more efficient?

Hemlock offers warehousing and on-demand digital production as alternatives to shipping and inventorying materials which reduces waste.

15. Are there any processes we currently undertake using paper that can be done digitally?

Hemlock is involved with helping clients repurpose files for digital use such as epub and flash based files so magazine content can reach a digital audience.

16. What form of energy is used to power our office?

Hemlock uses hydro-powered electricity and natural gas for heating.

17. Is there a lower carbon alternative?

Hydro-electric power is a renewable resource and has a relatively small carbon footprint in contrast to other forms of electricity production. Natural gas is a lower carbon alternative which emits 0.056 kg CO2/MJ vs. coal which emits 0.093 kg CO2/MJ. (Source: Natural Resources Canada)

Updated on May 3, 2012 to correct some statistics and to add more paper suppliers.

We were so pleased when Magazines Canada shared with us their Carbon Footprint Compendium (PDF). The Compendium masterfully summarizes what is meant by a “carbon footprint” and how magazines can limit their carbon impact. It goes into detail about what practices contribute to the size of a printer or publisher’s carbon footprint and provides some real world examples of companies that have developed and put into practice environmental policies.

Included within the Compendium is a list of questions that you can ask your printer, suppliers and distributors to learn more about their environmental practices. Stay tuned for Hemlock’s answers to these questions on the blog next week.

I encourage you to download a copy of the Compendium and read it for yourself, as there is a wealth of information within it that I could not summarize here. Here are my take-aways from it:

Trees & Carbon Removal: When trees remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from our environment, it is stored “below ground in soils and roots systems” (page 11). This storage capacity is considerably larger with older forests, including vast intacts areas within Canada’s Boreal Forest. When we harvest these trees, the carbon stores are disrupted and return to the atmosphere. Replanting the trees we harvest can take decades to pay off, as young plantations “actually emit more carbon than they sequester for their first decade or two” (page 12).

I personally have always tried to use recycled paper since I became aware of what recycling was. It’s really easy to understand that fewer trees on our planet means fewer resources that can remove the pollution we output. I had never thought about the trees excreting or storing the gases they intake. Even deeper than that, I had never thought about what happens when a tree that has centuries worth of carbon stores is felled.

Ink & Bio-Renewable Content: Ink is another aspect to take into consideration when calculating the environmental impact of your printer. On page 15 of the Compendium, it suggests you “look for inks with higher bio-renewable content (BRC) which is made up of more natural raw materials.”

At Hemlock, we utilize different types of ink for our offset and digital equipment. Offset inks make up the majority of our volume and are purchased directly from ink suppliers, giving us more control over the bio-renewable content. The offset inks used at Hemlock are comprised of approximately 20% pigmentation and less than 5% dryers. The dyers used contain minimal volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, as currently there is not a viable alternative to lower levels. The remaining 75% makes up the vessel that transports the ink. The content of this 75% can vary between the type of ink and batch, but is primarily composed of vegetable soya and organic linseed oils.

The ink for our Digital Indigo is supplied by HP directly and is a proprietary formulation, which HP does not fully disclose. We do know that approximately 80% of the digital inks are made from petroleum hydrocarbon but the remaining content is a patented as a trade secret.

Our G7 certification requires that we limit our VOC content to less than 4% by weight for all of our inks – digital and offset – and we are in complete compliance. In addition to this, our inks all contain less than 100 parts per million combined of cadmium, lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium or their compounds.

Source of Electricity: Because so much of British Columbia’s energy sources are renewable (i.e. hydro-electric), our carbon footprints are starting out smaller than companies and residents whose energy is sourced through less sustainability methods (i.e. coal). As companies are reaching towards becoming operationally carbon neutral, it is important to consider where your suppliers’ energy comes from, as that would impact the bottom line of your carbon footprint. However, the best and easiest solution would be to find suppliers who are also operationally carbon neutral as they have taken care of their own emissions.

Meet Frank, he’s Hemlock’s own driver for lower mainland deliveries and probably the nicest courier you will ever meet.

Starting this week, you may see him around the Metro Vancouver area delivering samples, picking up proofs, and anything else that may be required of an in-house courier (Coffee runs, anyone?).

Frank has been in this role for a couple of months now with a rental vehicle, but this is his first week with our brand new, shiny and white Mercedes Sprinter Van. To welcome the Sprinter to the Hemlock family, we’re running a contest!

That’s right, it’s time to:

Capture the Sprinter from the Printer!

Up for grabs is your own copy of Matthew Maran’s Vancouver Island: Barkley to Clayoquot photography book. We have 5 copies to give away. To enter, all you have to do is take a photo of Hemlock’s Sprinter Van and share it with us on Twitter or Facebook, or leave it in a comment here.

Hemlock employees are not eligible to win this contest, and we will not accept photographs taken from our office! There is no end-date for this contest, and I will update this post with information on how many books are still available, so get snapping!

The Hemlock team working the Globe 2012 Trade Show Booth

With all of my posts, I encourage you to ask questions and to engage in things that matter to you. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us on this blog, or email me directly.

This week I would like to share with you what I took away from the 2012 Globe Conference, held in Vancouver on March 15th and 16th.

The two seminars that I found the most useful and wanted to discuss in further detail were “Product Stewardship and Innovative Packaging: Striving for Zero Waste” and “People Power: Improving Performance through a Corporate Culture of Sustainability Leadership.”

Product Stewardship and Innovative Packaging had a very interesting presenter: Heidi Sanborn from the California Product Stewardship Council. Of the seminars I attended, she was the only presenter from a non-profit, and so she represented a very important perspective to have expressed in this context. Included in the discussion was an overview on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which is where the producer of packaging is responsible to pay for and manage the cost of recycling and disposal, rather then the consumer and municipality through taxes. Legislation is on its way in Canada to encourage the production of a product with less waste all around through increased research, developed and producer innovation. As a consumer, I really like the sound of that.

People Power: Improving Performance through a Corporate Culture of Sustainability Leadership featured Jean Oelwang, CEO with Virgin Unite as one of the presenters. The biggest take-away I had from the talk was that ‘sustainability’ is not something that should be an after-thought; but rather something that should be ingrained into the corporate culture (which Hemlock does very well). Ms. Oelwang emphasized that we can all appreciate that being recognized for your efforts, so to encourage sustainable growth, formal and informal recognition is worth its weight in gold. Another really cool initiative being run by Virgin is the “Carbon War Room“. Its purpose is to create a space for entrepreneurs to invent market based approaches to reducing carbon emissions. Screw Business As Usual by Richard Branson was also discussed, and I have added the book on my reading list for this summer.

General impressions

Pros: Most of the speakers at the seminars I attended were great – really passionate and engaging.  It was also really neat to see so many people from around the world gather on the topic of sustainability,  tangible proof that sustainability is on everyone’s radar. Also, all of the printed materials distributed for the conference (programs, tickets, etc.) were a carbon neutral project printed by yours truly.

Cons: I found the non-profit side to be extremely underrepresented. When you have a debate on topics as specific as these seminars, you must produce a balanced picture, including a representation of the policy side of things. Perhaps next time, they will invite more non-profits and have a more balanced panel. I’d love to see more debate, and more varied points of view from the panellists.

Overall: It was a wonderful conference filled with passionate presenters on the topics chosen by the organizers; I only wished for more diversity amongst the panellists. I am so grateful to Hemlock for allowing me to represent the company, and to partake in such a great opportunity.

What do you think? Did you attend this year? What would you like to see at future sustainability seminars?

Hemlock's Burnaby facility, carbon neutral since 2007.

Did you know that if your business spends less than $50,000 a year on electricity, it may qualify for a free energy assessment funded by LiveSmart BC? This is a great opportunity to get your company onto the path of environmental sustainability.

If your business is in the Lower Mainland, contact the City of Vancouver’s advisor today by email or at 604.362.5946 to see if you qualify for the free assessment.

If your business is outside Metro Vancouver, or you would just like more information, visit  the LiveSmart BC website for more details

By greening your business, you’ll be helping to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020.

Ted Talk: A Primer on 3D Printing

So basically it’s a manufacturing process that builds products similar to how images are built on paper by a printer. It’s really fascinating, especially near the end when she talks about scientists doing this with cells.

Our client, BlanketID, utilized this technology for the packaging of their product – animal ID tags that can help find lost pets.

Packaging for BlanketID Pet Tags

Each of the stylish ID tags comes with a unique number associated with the QR code on the packaging. The owner can scan this code to register their pet on the Blanket website, allowing users to report if a pet is ever missing or found.

The packaging comes in five different colours to compliment the many different tag styles. BlanketID is a unique company with a love for pets and an eye for excellence, including their packaging. They also donates 15% of their profits to different animal welfare causes. The animals they help are showcased on their blog, so if your day needs an “awww” moment, check it out.