Commercial printer Quad/Graphics said yesterday that it has become the first corporation in the printing and publishing industry to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay Transport Partnership, a voluntary program designed to increase the environmental performance of freight shippers.
Members of the partnership agree to use SmartWay-recommended techniques to increase the nation's energy efficiency and energy security. As a result, SmartWay partners reduce air pollution while saving money for their operations.
Quad/Graphics, Sussex, WI, said it has used emission-reducing and efficiency-enhancing methods in its distribution operations for almost a decade.
The “qualified” status of its membership signifies that the printer has shown superior environmental performance, according to the EPA.
The process to become qualified took Quad/Graphics nearly two years, first measuring the greenhouse gas emissions of its operations and then developing and implementing a plan to reduce those emissions even further. Measures taken by the printer included switching to aerodynamic trucks, implementing anti-idling technology and installing small diesel engines that heat and cool the cab of the truck so drivers do not have to keep the entire truck running while parked. The smaller engines consume just one pint of fuel per hour, one-eighth as much as the entire gallon used by an average truck engine.
Using an EPA formula, Quad/Graphics calculated that it reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 9,614 tons via SmartWay-recommended techniques in 2004 alone. This is the equivalent of taking 1,888 passenger cars off the road for a year.
By 2012, the initiative aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 33 million to 66 million metric tons and nitrogen oxide emissions by 200,000 tons yearly. EPA officials also project SmartWay partners will realize fuel savings of up to 150 million barrels of oil annually, the equivalent of removing about 12 million cars from our nation's roads.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
