People

At Worldcolor we understand that our accomplishments can be multiplied by partnering with our vendors, our customers, our employees in our facilities and in their communities; thus enabling us to extend our environmental commitment across the supply chain.

 

Vendors

 

Working with our ink suppliers and the Institut des Communications Graphiques du Quebec, we continue to fund research to develop more environmentally friendly inks. The most common cleaning agent used in lithographic printing is blanket wash. Our vendors have developed blanket wash with 30 to 50 percent less solvent, and in some cases have improved the chemistry to the point of rendering this raw material non-hazardous. These new blanket washes are widely used across Worldcolor. Another major raw material employed by the lithographic printing process is fountain solution. In North America, the printing industry has successfully done away with alcohol-based fountain solution.

 

Employees

 

Worldcolor is committed to employee awareness through the training and education of its employees. Each plant is staffed with an Environmental Coordinator who works with the corporate Environmental Affairs Department of Worldcolor to make sure the plants remain in compliance with applicable federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, as well as with the Environmental Policy. In addition to the corporate environmental staff that oversees the environmental operations of all the plants worldwide, Worldcolor has a Corporate Environmental Committee that meets quarterly to review the environmental performances of all of its printing plants. Additionally, the department of Internal Audit has been trained by the Department of Environmental Affairs on how to conduct environmental audits of its global facilities.

 

Community

 

Hundreds of Worldcolor employees participate in Earth Day and other activities annually in the U.S. and Canada. An example of a specific project undertaken is the reforestation of a large park just north of Toronto, Ontario, where employees planted company-supplied trees.

 

Other Environmental Efforts

 

Worldcolor actively participates in industry trade associations and through these associations openly shares environmental ideas and programs with other members of the printing industry, government agencies and other third parties. Trade association forums allow a mechanism to test and advance new technologies that are more environmentally friendly. Worldcolor participated, for example, in EPA’s Design for the Environment, a government initiative with the objective of identifying environmental solutions and replacing less desirable technology and processes.

 

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