Printing industry looks to go Lean as means to go green

The printing industry has always had a watchful eye over the way it sources paper for products. The sector wants to avoid being seen as wasteful or anti-environmental and, as such, developed sustainable practices far before many other companies began making these changes.

Now, the sector is in the process of employing Lean practices to further bolster sustainability. Several key players in the industry recently met at the Lean & Green International Environmental Conference, organized by the World Print & Communication Forum (WPCF) and PrintCity Alliance, to further discuss the best ways of leveraging Lean methodologies to achieve sustainability.

“The conference speakers demonstrated that there is a direct correlation from a Lean & Green approach to provide strong benefits across the industry value chain. The holistic management of economic and environmental issues is a key to sustainability, and also impacts on the use of print as a medium,” said John Dangelmaier, president of PrintCity.

WhatTheyThink, a printing and paper industry blog, recently recognized some printers that followed Lean & Green practices, such as Premier Press in Portland, Oregon.