Quad Recognized By EPA As Leading Green Power PurchaserQuad/Graphics appears on the U.S. EPA's new Top 20 Printers List of the largest green power purchasers in the commercial printing business. Quad/Graphics purchases nearly 3 million kilowatt-hours of green power annually -- the equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 400 passenger vehicles per year, or the equivalent of electricity needed to power nearly 300 average Amercian homes annually.
Quad/Graphics buys utility green power products from Oklahoma Gas & Electric and We Energies for use at its Oklahoma City, Okla., and Sussex, Wis., manufacturing facilities, respectively. The purchases meet 4 percent of the facilities’ purchased electricity use.
“Our green power purchases are just one of the many ways in which we demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the environment,” said Joel Quadracci, President & CEO of Quad/Graphics. “We take seriously our responsibility to the environment and are proud to be recognized by the EPA as an environmental leader. Taking better care of our world through initiatives like reducing greenhouse gas emissions is common sense management.”
“EPA commends our leading partners for their continued commitment to protecting the environment by using green power,” said Kathleen Hogan, Director of the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at EPA. “By supporting green power, Quad/Graphics is reducing its greenhouse gas emission, supporting clean energy technologies and contributing to a clean energy future.”
The Top 20 Printers List is one of nine Top Partner Lists that EPA releases quarterly,highlighting some of America's largest green power purchasers. All of EPA’s Top Partner Lists are available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.
Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These resources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources. Green power purchases also support the development of new renewable energy generation sources nationwide.
Quad/Graphics has long been known for its environmental stewardship. In 2004, the company was the first printer to join the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, which is an innovative, market-based partnership to reduce fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants from the freight sector. By focusing on fuel efficiency and emissions reduction initiatives, Quad/Graphics has earned three consecutive EPA SmartWay Environmental Excellence Awards.
In 2005, Quad/Graphics was the first printer to join the EPA’s Climate Leaders, an industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop long-term comprehensive climate change strategies. Quad/Graphics has pledged to reduce U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent per page printed by 2013.
Recently, Quad/Graphics announced that its Sussex, Wis., manufacturing facility received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building (LEED-EB) certification, Silver rating, from the U.S. Green Building Council. Quad/Graphics is the first major printer to achieve LEED certification for an existing manufacturing site. The company’s 25-year-old Sussex facility is located on a 73-acre site, has 1.7 million square feet of usable space, and houses almost 60 pieces of heavy industrial press and finishing equipment.
About Quad/Graphics, Inc.
Quad/Graphics (www.QG.com) is the largest privately held printer of magazines, catalogs and other commercial products in the Western Hemisphere, and the third largest printer – public or private – in the nation. Headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin (26 miles west of Milwaukee), the company provides services ranging from front-end design and photography through digital imaging, printing, finishing, mailing/distribution and data-driven marketing solutions such as data optimization and analytics. The company’s focus on environmentalism and social responsibility has garnered a long list of local, state and national honors. These honors include being featured among the Top 5 Print Industry Brands associated with sustainability, according to a study published by Graphic Arts Monthly. Annual sales are $2.2 billion. Worldwide employment approximates 11,000 people.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,100 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower. |
