Quad & Norm Meet Forest Standards

Two leading companies that are models of sustainable business practices, Quad Graphics and Norm Thompson, made announcements recently that will help protect forests. Quad Graphics, the world’s largest privately held commercial printer, has achieved chain-of-custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). That means customers can print their magazines, catalogs and other printed materials on FSC-certified paper and get the benefit of displaying the FSC logo in those materials.

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) uses Quad Graphics as their printer for its showcase magazine, National Wildlife, as well as its childrens publications Ranger Rick, Your Big Backyard and Wild Animal Baby. Laura Hickey, NWF’s Senior Director of Production said, As one of the largest conservation education organizations in the country, being able to specify FSC-certified paper and display the FSC logo demonstrates our support of responsible forest management that is critical for maintaining healthy wildlife habitat.

Quad/Graphics, headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin, is an employee-owned firm and a pioneer in incorporating sustainable practices throughout company operations and in the printing industry. The company employs 12,000 people worldwide and has annual sales of $2 billion. Their magazine clients include Architectural Digest, Time, Newsweek, People, Food & Wine, and National Geographic. Some of their catalog clients include J. Crew, Victorias Secret, Williams Sonoma, Lands End and SkyMall.

One of their catalog customers is another sustainable business favorite, Norm Thompson Outfitters. The company announced its first catalog run printed on FSC-certified paper. About 1.5 million copies of their Winter Sale catalog were sent out with the FSC logo displayed on the back cover. Quad printed the catalog on paper manufactured by Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA) of Sweden, a forest products company known for its sustainable practices.

Derek Smith, Norm Thompson Corporate Sustainability Manager said, We are thrilled to purchase FSC-certified paper and promote the FSC brand in our catalog. We are very appreciative of our valuable supply chain partner, Quad/Graphics, who made this a reality by seeking chain-of-custody certification for their printing processes. Forest conservation is one of our central sustainability priorities. Our goal is to have all catalogs printed on certified paper by 2005. Their goal is to become a model for the retail catalog industry on paper and forestry issues.

Norm Thompson Outfitters is a $200 million retailer based in Portland, Oregon. Among their sustainability efforts is their green built headquarters. It was the first commercial building to meet Portland General Electric’s Earth Smart Gold Standards.

Quad Graphics: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Norm Thompson: [sorry this link is no longer available]

There are also initiatives underway to green the book publishing industry. Visit www.greenpressinitiative.org or oldgrowthfree.org to learn more.