Printing Green Sustainability Report (continued)

With climate change and rising sea levels, sustainability and corporate social responsibility have become a common concern of consumers, business leaders, investors, and politicians. Tom Friedman, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, recently described resource conservation and energy efficiency as a country's security needs. He believes that environmental protection is the best thing that we can do to the country.

For print shops, taking early steps to meet climate change and sustainability challenges will allow your company to better meet the growing demand for green products from customers and sustainability supply partners. On the one hand, if your company cannot reduce greenhouse gas emissions, control energy consumption, and expand its business scope, it will be placed in a dangerous position by the supply chain.

Under such pressure, many companies have begun to re-examine their own standards of behavior and performance methods, because these factors determine their mode of operation. The demand and action framework for sustainable supply chain management and procurement are company-specific. In general, the world's largest companies review their business practices and supply chain operations to see if they can travel to corporate social responsibility, including: what they print, how they print, and print related products and The value of the service, etc.

Companies in the pharmaceutical and automotive sectors began to green their supply chains as early as ten years ago, and focused on what they call a first-tier supplier. Although printing accounts for more than 20% of the total expenditure of most companies, it is still not a Tier 1 supplier. Until recently, we have re-emphasized the issue of sustainable development and lean production of printing. Everyone is interested in topics such as the recycling of recycled waste, the “carbon footprint” of the printing and logistics industry, and the chain of custody of forest resources.

People's debate on the advantages and disadvantages of FSC and SFI certification occupies the headlines of major newspapers. Issues such as climate change, corporate social responsibility, and carbon disclosure have also become the focus of corporate news.

Leaders from companies such as Exxon, Wal-Mart, Target, General Motors, Toyota Motor, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly Clarke, The New York Times and Times all felt the growing pressure from investors, markets and regulators. They must Take steps to meet the challenges of sustainability and mitigate the impact of climate change on business, society and the environment. The well-known "carbon emission disclosure project" called on the world's 2,500 large enterprises to voluntarily report their own greenhouse gas emissions.

Some people may view active reporting of greenhouse gas emissions as a burden or a risk. However, the process of making greenhouse gas inventories and transforming business processes to reduce carbon dioxide density will drastically change the regulatory environment in the next three to five years. Most Fortune 500 companies are willing to proactively publish corporate social responsibility or sustainability reports and comply with the initiative of the Global Reporting Initiative, a global reporting initiative. These companies will disclose their own non-financial data on their greenhouse gas emissions. But so far, few printers have published similar reports or realized that they need to do so.

The U.S. Congress is currently considering the drafting of several bills that limit greenhouse gas emissions, which will affect all businesses, including printers. In March of this year, the top 50 U.S. investors, including Merrill Lynch and the California Public Employees Pension Fund, requested that Congress formulate tough federal regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions and change national energy policies. They hope that the United States can “reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions on a large scale for a long period of time” and propose three measures: (1) adjust energy policies to promote the development of cleaner technologies, and (2) come from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (Securities & The description of the Exchange Commission shows which companies should disclose climate change to investors in their own financial reports, and (3) regulate greenhouse gas emissions with a mandatory market-based solution.

Do you know "LOHAS"?

In addition to investor pressure, consumer attitudes toward climate change and the environment have also changed. A recent national survey conducted by Knowledge Networks shows that 72% of Americans are aware of the “greenhouse gas-induced global warming and climate change” issue, and 75% believe that global warming is an emergency issues that need resolving.

At present, there are 63 million “LOHAS” consumers in North America. The so-called “Lohas” is a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. The current market value of "Lohas" products and services in the United States is worth $226.8 billion.

For a variety of reasons, more and more large companies, publishers, and government agencies are beginning to manage supply chain sustainability issues and their impact on the climate. As a result, well-known companies such as Wal-Mart, Nike and Bank of America have all revised their qualification standards for suppliers, requesting them to add information on environmental management and greenhouse gas emissions in RFIs, and they must also apply for their own applications. Add new sustainability reports and review certifications.

The world's dependence on printing has gone far beyond our imagination. When today's printing industry has not yet finished eating, we should deepen our understanding of the “new green” concept and join together to screen, analyze and apply information related to sustainable development, and bravely face global warming. The challenge. One of the main ways to achieve this goal is to educate yourself and encourage and support non-profit organizations and people in the industry to create a sustainable future. Finally, share your successes and failures and concerns with your peers. Topics such as sustainability and climate change will tie you closely and make you forget about cruel competition. As Wallace Stinius, the legend of the printing industry, once said: "The challenge before us is obvious - to a certain extent, we must get rid of the bondage of the past and stop using it yesterday. Ways to manage today, and also to develop a set of management skills and procedures that will enable us to move forward."

Fortunately, most American printers have already realized the importance of environmental issues and expressed their desire to continue to move towards sustainable production.