Xerox Corporation is the latest company to join Verdigris, the not-for-profit print environmental research initiative, as a Founder Member. Xerox joins Agfa, Canon, drupa, EcoPrint, EFI, Fespa, Fujifilm, HP, Pragati, Ricoh, Unity Publishing and Xeikon as Verdigris supporters.
Verdigris helps print buyers, printers and publishers evaluate the carbon footprint of print and electronic media, from the point of file creation via production to final distribution, use and disposal. The goal is to raise awareness of print’s capabilities in reducing environmental impact through cooperative content development shared with an international network of trade publishers.
“At Xerox, sustainability is our way of doing business,” says Gina R. Testa, vice president, Graphic Communications Industry, Xerox. “We have identified five key areas where we can make a positive impact across our worldwide value chain: energy reduction, preserving biodiversity, preserving clean air and water, preventing and managing waste, and ensuring health and safety. In all these areas, Verdigris plays a role in dispelling myths about print’s impact by helping the print industry present a coordinated, well-argued and well-documented case for print as a medium of choice.”
Welcoming Xerox to the Verdigris project, founder Laurel Brunner says, “We’re delighted that Xerox is on board for several reasons. The support of such a recognised brand validates and lends weight to what we are doing, while the financial support that our Founder Members provide ensures we can continue the work, as well as helping us develop new initiatives.”
Launched at drupa in 2008, Verdigris provides free research and content on a regular basis to a global network of 39 influential publications in 33 countries. Participants in the project can use Verdigris content to educate their printing communities about print’s environmental impact, and to help raise print’s positive profile. Verdigris content—which is independently managed by people who know and understand print technology— explores and analyses the issues facing publishers and printers to help them manage their carbon footprints, while continuing to conduct a profitable business. Verdigris is also a major contributor to the development of ISO 16759, the standard for measuring the carbon footprint of print media products.
The Verdigris website provides a single point of reference, not only to access Verdigris data and information about other environmental developments, but also for links to other useful environmental websites. The Verdigris site also has a growing list of the world’s printers compliant to ISO 14001, the environmental management standard.
