Confscusion
A printer was quoted in a recent Printweek article as saying that “having FSC makes us acceptable to customers, but they don’t necessarily specify it.”
Confusingly, if you’re using an FSC certified printer but not using FSC stock then you’re doing nothing to help the environment.
FSC certification is about the fibre tracking process only and is NOT about the environmental standards maintained within the factory. If you’re after a printer that maintains high environmental standards, look for ISO14001 and, better still, EMAS. For more info take a look at www.lovelyasatree.com/choose_print.htm
Conversely – if you specify an FSC paper but use a non-FSC certified printer, you can’t make the FSC claim in words or in symbols (or the FSC police will come for you!) It’s only FSC if there is a certificate trail back from the printer to the plantation. When Calverts gives our FSC logo/certificate number to a client or designer to use in their artwork, we have to submit it to our FSC auditor to sign off. Every time! Apparently we actually use the FSC claim much more often than any other printer he deals with – most FSC certified printers just can’t be bothered with the aggro of actually promoting the claim.
Comment by Sion — August 21, 2008 @ 1:58 pm