N.H. Printer Good at Its Word When Advocating Sustainability

EAST HAMPSTEAD — While the paper industry gets a bad rap from critics who say its products equal “environmental degradation,” for those businesses associated with the Forest Stewardship Council, the industry is actually at the forefront of encouraging sustainability.

And an innovative, environmentally aware New Hampshire printer has blazed the trail to make Forest Stewardship Council certification of printing products the standard that others who care about the planet emulate.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, member-led, non-profit organization that assures environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically prosperous forest management through independent third-party certification and labeling of wood, paper and other forest products, according to the FSC US Web site (https://us.fsc.org/).

Based in Bonn, Germany, FSC was founded in 1993 in response to public concern about deforestation and demand for a credible wood-labeling system. FSC sets rigorous forest management and “chain of custody” standards, which are then used by third-party auditors to ensure that those standards are being met in the management of forests and the production of forest products.

FSC’s on-product labeling allows businesses and consumers to choose products from well- managed forests — those that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations. FSC is also the only forest certification organization endorsed by such major environmental organizations as the World Wildlife Fund, National Wildlife Federation and Greenpeace.

“What it’s all about is holding people accountable,” RAM Printing Inc. account manager John Sobczak says about FSC certification. “Everyone who becomes FSC certified basically is signing onto the team of being responsible. In other words, as part of FSC, we are getting paper from companies that use foresters that are replanting. So, let’s say we bought some paper out of Maine. And all those trees, when they were harvested, they did not just go in and clear cut. They cut the trees to make the paper, and then those foresters became FSC certified. So they’re replanting five to six trees for every tree that they cut. It really becomes about sustainability.”

The paper manufacturer can certify that its paper is FSC certified because it’s really the aforementioned “chain of custody,” Sobczak says. And the paper merchant becomes FSC certified because the paper being sold has been tracked to the trees whence it came.

“So FSC is truly about chain of custody, about being responsible,” Sobczak says. “And then RAM takes it one step further. We don’t throw away paper when we’re done with it. When we’re done with set-up sheets and our off-waste, it’s then sent out to be recycled and made into paper once again. We use soy- and vegetable-based inks. And then in 2006, we also eliminated chemicals in the plate making department, switching to a water-based solution, so we’ve eliminated using film and we’re almost chemical-free — we’re getting close.”

And RAM Printing has been following sustainable printing practices since 1989, well ahead of the curve. RAM set the standard in New England and nationally for the greening of the print industry. Before sustainable business practices were part of the mainstream, RAM was on the cutting edge of creating a product and service that was different than anything else on the market. RAM felt it was important to raise the company standard and has been doing so ever since to provide the consumer with a better product, while minimizing its footprint and succeeding financially. There are mills in the state of New Hampshire and throughout Maine, so RAM tries to buy local to lower its carbon footprint.

In 2006, RAM Printing was the first New Hampshire printer to receive FSC certification. “At that time, we were in a minority of just 200 printers in the United States that were FSC certified,” says Sobczak. “Certification doesn’t come lightly. We have to go through a rigorous process of training, and then we get to use the FSC logo, and depending on how much recycled content is in the paper, then we put the FSC mark that coincides with the amount of recycled pulp in the paper. In other words, it could be mixed sources. It could be straight up FSC. We have whole different criteria for the different material that are available to us.”

Most paper has some recycled content in it, Sobczak says, though sometimes at an insignificant quantity to designate it as such on the label. “But you can’t recycle phones, and you can’t recycle the whole computer — though you can recycle some of the contents. I know there are companies that are stripping out computer parts and hard drives and certain components. And computer batteries often go into a landfill.

“But computers, desktops and laptops, are made out of metal and plastics. Paper is made out of trees and water. Then you recycle it. You use it and grow more trees. As long as the sun is shining, trees will grow.”

RAM Printing is a business partner of the Green Alliance, a union of local sustainable businesses promoting environmentally sound business practices, and a green co-op offering discounted green products and services to its members.

“Green Alliance business partners and co-op members come to RAM for their printing,” says Sobczak, noting that they get a 5 percent discount for patronizing RAM. “What’s great about them is that they appreciate us and do business with us because of our practices and our business model. It’s the GA members that walk the walk and talk the talk. And we’re happy to do business with Green Alliance members, be they businesses or consumers. And we applaud them for doing the right thing.”

For more information about RAM Printing, visit www.TheRamCompanies.com. And for the Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz.