Big Picture - September 2017 - 22

GREEN-COLORED Glasses
Want to learn more about becoming a sustainable print shop? SGIA will
be hosting a Brands Talking Sustainability luncheon at this year's SGIA
Expo, scheduled for 12-2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10. The luncheon will
"explore how print suppliers can help retailers meet their sustainability
objectives," according to Marci Kinter, SGIA VP of government and
business aﬀairs, in a release.
Print buyers will discuss how sustainability factors into print buying
in a retail setting. Speakers include Libra Balian, senior director of
marketing operations for Ann Inc.; Suzanna Eversole, manager of print
production for REI; and Stephen White, print production manager for
Starbucks Coﬀee Company.
Tickets for the luncheon can be purchased during expo registration.

BIG PICTURE

September 2017

Below is a sustainable tradeshow
booth recently
completed by QSL
for a local B2B
Expo. A layered,
dimensional
piece, the booth
is built completely
from recyclable
substrates, even
down to the
reusable plastic
panel joints.

refundable items, and even compost - going so far as creating
an area for staff to compost leftover lunch and dinner scraps.
It wasn't always smooth sailing, though. "We embraced a
diverse set of green technologies and renewable resources
early on," explains Koke, "but there were concerns about
quality. And to us, and more importantly, to our customers,
quality is paramount."
Through some expected trial and error - and the due
diligence of searching for and sourcing products and materials
from the right suppliers and vendors who champion sustainability as much as the shop does - those original concerns
never proved to be an issue. "You can maintain high quality
and be sustainable," observes Koke. "It has its challenges, but
it's definitely possible, because we're doing it."
To stay accountable, QSL uses Bring Recycling, one of the
nation's oldest nonprofit recyclers, and their RE:think Business
certification, a free, comprehensive program that helps Lane
County, Oregon, businesses reduce waste and save money.
"That's certainly a silver lining," says Koke, "that when you
figure out how to reduce waste, you save money." And even
though saving money, she explains, isn't why they do it, Koke
recognizes that the business needs to make money and keep
the lights on. "Even if they're LEDs."

It's Never Been Easier
Just up the coast, Stella Color (stellacolor.com) in Seattle
offers a wide range of large-format digital products and
services. An SGP-certified shop since 2010, Lynn Krinsky,
Stella's owner and one of our 2016 Women in Print Award
winners, remembers the good ol' days of doing paste-ups,
back when her biggest expense was buying empty 4-ounce
bottles and metal nuts to mix printer colors manually.
"We've come a long way since then," she says, noting the
impact today's technology has had on her business and her
ability to be sustainable. "We were one of the first shops on
the West Coast to add dye sublimation to our product mix
back in '94. At the time, we were just looking to add something new, something different, but it had the happy coincidence of being more sustainable than a lot of the other
products at the time."
But just because something's better for the environment,
adds Krinsky, doesn't mean it's going to catch on quickly.
There's typically an adoption factor, time and energy put in
before the wheels of progress turn. The T8 lighting Krinsky
and her team initially installed to replace older fluorescents,
for instance, burned out far faster than expected. After some
digging, they discovered that the motion sensors they had
also newly installed were shortening the life of the bulbs,
turning them on and off more frequently than their design
specifications could handle. "Trial and error is a large part of
trying new things. You just have to plan for it," she says.
In the Northwest, where sustainability is a serious
business, there isn't much room for mistakes. "You'll get a note
from the city for having glass mixed in with your cardboard
recycling at home," observes Krinsky. "They'll make the time
to let you know."
Yet, even though they're sticklers on sorting, the city and
county are great sources for information and programs on
recycling, renewables, and sustainability, according to
Krinsky. "Seattle City Light, our public energy utility, teamed
up with the city to offer free LED bulbs to businesses looking
to become more efficient. We took advantage of the program
to switch out our old incandescents, and now we're saving 30
percent on our electric bills on average. It's definitely worth
looking into in your own area."
Stella also has a number of ways in which they're reducing
waste, saving money, and looking out for the planet. Like the
other SGP-certified shops, they conduct regular staff training
and education; recycle acrylics, wood, and other production
materials; and use hand dryers in their bathrooms - and kitchen.
"You know how it is," describes Krinsky. "You wash a plate, or
wash your hands, and you reach for a paper towel. That's a lot of
waste people don't always think about going into the landfill."
There are many great ideas out there on reducing waste
and adding to your profits, says Krinsky; you just have to be
willing to look, and maybe ask for some help.

A Modernistic Approach
Modernistic (modprint.com), located in idyllic Stillwater,
Minnesota, is a national supplier of décor, displays, graphics,
and industrial OEM products. After nearly 80 years in service,
this third-generation family-owned business is experiencing

http://www.stellacolor.com http://www.modprint.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - September 2017