Print is sustainable.

Forest certification has led to greater recognition of the importance of environmentally and socially sound wood and pulp products. Quad/Graphics customers have several options for sourcing environmentally responsible paper.

Sustainable sources

Paper manufacturing requires the use of natural resources. Paper manufacturers and their suppliers are reducing the size of their environmental footprint by obtaining tree fiber from sustainable sources, by using water responsibly, and by making frugal energy choices.. As a result, foresters, environmentalists and paper manufacturers are working together to make great strides to protect forests and wildlife habitat, manage natural resources for sustainability and maintain air and water quality.

Forest certification is a system of forest inspection plus a means of tracking timber and paper through a "chain of custody" — following the raw material through to the finished product. This is all to ensure that the products have come from forests which are well managed — meaning they take into account environmental, social and economic principles and criteria.

Certification includes those from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). As a result, the amount of forest covering the United States has remained relatively constant for the last 100 years.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) | The presence of the Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody logo on a printed product ensures that the materials used to produce it were sourced responsibly. Every entity that touches the FSC-labeled product – from the logger to Quad/Graphics – is FSC certified. For more information, see www.fsc.org.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) | Developed in 1994 by the American Forest & Paper Association, SFI forest certification promotes responsible forestry practices. To be certified, forest operations across the United States and Canada are audited against the SFI forest standard. SFI chain-of-custody certification extends into the marketplace by tracking fiber content from certified lands through production and manufacturing to the end product. Consumers who buy products with the SFI "percent-content" label know of the products come from well-managed forests. Program participants ensure the raw material in their supply chain comes from legal and responsible sources, whether the forests are certified or not. SFI labels are recognized globally and provide a visual cue to help customers source certified forest products. SFI program requirements are audited by independent, third-party certification bodies to ensure they conform. The Sustainable Forest Initiative program plants about 1.7 million trees per day – more than 620 million trees every year. For more information, see www.aboutsfi.org.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) | The PEFC Council is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization and is the world's largest forest certification organization. PEFC promotes sustainable forest management – environmentally, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests for present and future generations – through independent third-party forest certification. Founded in 1999, the PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests. For more information, see www.pefc.org.

Sustainable processes

Quad/Graphics uses alcohol-free substitutes with glycol15 during the plate-making process, low-VOC water-miscible solvent blanket washes during press cleanup and disposes of chemicals through EPA-licensed hazardous waste disposal companies.

Although paper use is traditionally identified with reading and writing, beginning in 1993, packaging has replaced communications as the single largest category of paper use at 41 percent of all paper used. [Source: North American Factbook PPI, 1995.]

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