Hemlock Printers, a commercial sheetfed printer, claims it is the first printing company in Canada to achieve carbon neutral status. Hemlock also recently won the Heidelberg Eco Printing Award 2008 for Most Sustainable Printing Company. This new international environmental award is focused on the sustainable use of resources and energy, climate protection, and environmental business practices.
Hemlock worked with Offsetters, a Canadian carbon offset provider, to assess their existing carbon footprint. The companies jointly created greenhouse gas reduction strategies and sourced high-quality offsets for greenhouse gas emissions that could not be reduced. Hemlock targets 33 percent reductions in absolute GHG emissions by 2020, meeting the target set by the BC Provincial Government.
Hemlock plans to introduce a program in July designed to help its customers reduce the carbon footprint of their print projects.
Industry leaders say that green print and packaging materials are about more than "recycle, reuse and renew." Awards such as the Heidelberg Eco Printing Award show that companies are striving for greater sustainable practices.
