Packaging
Colorpak First to Gain Forest Certification
Monday 29. December 2008 - Colorpak Limited has become the first specialist folding cartons business in Australia to receive Chain of Custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC).
Certification by these international bodies commits organizations to promote responsible management of forests.
For manufacturers such as Colorpak, this means sourcing papers and boards from forest managers who comply with regulated forestry practices. FSC certified papers and board have only been available in Australia since early 2006.
Colorpaks Managing Director, Mr Alex Commins, said his company was continually seeking ways of enhancing its environmental performance.
“We saw participation in the FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody schemes as a way to encourage our customers via our certifications to source materials from sustainable sources,” said Mr Commins.
Colorpaks National Quality Assurance and Environment Manager, Mr Steven Davies, said that Chain of Custody certification is just one of a number of environmental initiatives taken by the company.
These include:
Investing in waterless printing technologies that conserve one of our most precious resources – water
Introducing a comprehensive waste management and recycling program
Harvesting rainwater for use in on site toilets
Encouraging a culture of environmental awareness amongst all employees
Investigating opportunities for product substitution that reduces waste, increases productivity and makes the entire printing process more sustainable.
“A good example of product substitution is our move away where possible from solvent-based inks to vegetable-based alternatives,” said Mr Davies.
“Our objective is to meet the international ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard and we are close to achieving this,” he said.
The FSC and PEFC are international not-for-profit organisations dedicated to the responsible management of the worlds forests. They set standards for responsible forest management and accredit independent third-party organizations to certify forest practices.
Colorpak is a listed Australian company that supplies specialist folding cartons to the pharmaceuticals, confectionery, beverages and fast moving consumer goods industries.