Going Green
A Natural Strategy at BFC.
For BFC, the trend to “go green” started years ago. “Conserving resources while maintaining quality and value has always been one of our objectives,” states Becky Johnson, Quality Manager at BFC. With new eco-friendly options and technologies emerging, BFC decided to deepen their shade of green by incorporating additional environmentally responsible products, equipment and policies.
What do printers use most? Paper. To preserve our world’s forests, BFC has become certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not for profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Becky tells clients that BFC products carrying the FSC label is an assurance that all paper came from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.
In addition, BFC has met all rigorous standards to become certified by The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). SFI is one of the world’s largest forest certification standards, offering significantly more products from certified sources than most other standards. This is important, considering only 10% of the world’s forests are certified. “The certification is critical,” states Becky. “It means BFC will maintain the chain of custody that our products came from wood in well-managed forests.”
Other improvements are even easier to see, such as BFC’s new CtP plating technology system. This non-visible light laser Agfa ThermoFuse unit replaces a visible-light laser conventional CtP plating technology system offering a “cleaner” technology. According to Keith Kanak, Prepress Manager at BFC, “The old process used chemicals and had significant waste products. The new process is more mechanical and does not have those issues. We anticipate at least a 10-15% savings in energy.” For BFC, the new equipment brings a more predictable process and quicker production. “We have two CtP systems, so we can be producing on one unit while the other is being maintained,” says Keith. “Basically, we’ve doubled our capacity,” states Keith.
BFC strives for environmental responsibility throughout our entire operation. “Whenever possible, we try to reuse materials—from recycled paper to ink cartridges,” Becky indicates. BFC also consistently recycles paper, aluminum printing plates, glass and chip board, and has all non-water soluble waste professionally removed by a service. Other green initiatives include using “sleep” modes on all equipment to save energy, replacing paper towels in the restrooms with a reusable cloth roll and using only CFW lighting.
What’s next for BFC in the green department? By late summer, BFC plans to be verified by Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Practices. “We’re really excited about this program because it was developed by printers for printers,” comments Becky. The mission at SGP Practices is to reduce environmental impact and increase social responsibility of the print and graphic communications industry through sustainable green printing practices. After meeting a set of criteria to establish performance standards, BFC will proudly uphold SGP Practices.
“We all share this planet and everyone at BFC wants to do their part to take care of it,” states Becky.