Environmental
Minimising environmental impact is now the concern of every business, large and small.
A live and active Environmental Management system is operational at Crown and we are fully certified to ISO 14001. Our system includes a programme for continuous improvement and is subject to regular external audits.
Our Environmental Management System provides a framework that helps us to manage our environmental responsibilities, so we become more efficient in our business operations. In short, it helps us reduce waste, increase productivity and conform to all the current environmental legislation. Focussing on packaging, waste and energy consumption, which we aim to minimise or, wherever possible, eliminate loss.
With over 20 years experience printing on recycled papers we actively promote their use. Crown was one of the first printers in the UK to gain FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) status - which means we can ensure that the FSC paper we source comes from sustainable forests.
We were the first printer in the country to install Agfa's Azura chemical-free plate making. This eliminated the use of, and need to dispose of, chemical waste. Crown use vegetable-oil based printing inks as standard.
To date we have won two sustainable business awards for environmental improvement and innovation.
Mission, Targets & Achievements
Our mission is to provide a high quality print service whilst operating within an environmental management system. We continually seek to identify areas in which we can improve or modify our environmental performance and quality standards.
ISO14001 is an environmental management system (EMS) for an organisation looking to demonstrate their environmental credentials.
An EMS is a means of ensuring that a business or organisation continually considers all aspects of its operation that either actually or potentially have some impact on the environment, primarily in terms of pollution.
The EMS sets certain standards and once those standards have been met it is then a commitment to constant ongoing improvement. ISO 14001 requires a clear environmental policy statement and some underlying objectives.
We believe in transparent reporting to verify our EMS and to ensure our system works. Download our EMS "Targets & Achievements"
Vegetable Based Inks
Prior to us obtaining ISO14001 we were already using vegetable based inks. Most ink manufactures produce a BIO ink range and we have experienced no problems using them. Fluorescent and metallic inks are not yet available as a vegetable based ink.
Green Issues
Labels. What do they mean?
ISO 14001
This is an internationally recognised scheme. It provides a framework for environmental awareness, monitoring and continual improvement. The 3 Key areas are:
- Compliance with environmental regulation
- Prevention of pollution
- Improvement in environmental performance
EMAS
This stands for the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme, an initiative designed to improve companies' environmental performance. Its aim is to recognise those organisations that go beyond minimum legal compliance. In addition, it is a requirement of the scheme that participating organisations regularly produce a public environmental statement that reports on their environmental performance. It is this voluntary publication of environmental information, whose accuracy and reliability is independently checked by an environmental verifier, that gives participants in the EMAS scheme credibility.
FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) Chain of Custody
If a printer holds the FSC Chain of Custody and the paper being used in a project is FSC certified or FSC recycled (100% recycled post-consumer waste), the end product can be labelled as FSC certified. This certificate is about the fibre tracking process only and ensures that there is no contamination between FSC and non-FSC material.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-government organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the worlds' forests.
The FSC has developed a system of forest certification and product labelling that allows consumers to identify wood and wood products from well-managed forests.
The FSC certifies that forests are managed in an environmentally, socially beneficial and economically viable manner.
Greenmark
The London Environment Centre (LEC), part of London Metropolitan University, developed the Greenmark award. In working towards the award, companies reduce their environmental impact in various concrete ways such as buying recycled paper and paper from renewable sources, switching to computer-to-plate technology to cut out film developing, replacing mineral-based inks with vegetable based inks to reduce solvent consumption, and increasing energy efficiency through improved insulation and lighting.
BPIF Environmental Assessment Scheme
A scheme for smaller companies in its own right, or for medium-sized companies - with greater resources - as a stepping stone towards ISO 14001. It is aimed at assessing, monitoring and reducing environmental impact and consists of 8 levels.
For more information e-mail our Environmental manager, Ian Spicer, at ianspicer@crownlitho.co.uk.