Offset Printing Service

GPN-ＧＬ14 Purchasing Guidelines for

Green Purchasing Network (GPN)

These guidelines cover important environmental issues that should be considered when ordering an offset printing service for paper printed materials. These guidelines consist of two parts: Important environmental issues that should be considered (1) for the specifications of printed materials and (2) for the selection of suppliers.

The checklist attached alongside the guidelines concretely lists the appropriate items to promote the communication between the ordering client and the printing-service supplier. (For the items separated into level 1 and level 2, the content of level 2 is more environmentally conscious.)

Part I : Specifications of Printed Materials

Important environmental issues to consider for the specifications of printed materials

	Guidelines	Checklist
1. <Applying to Paper>
	1)The paper shall be selected in conformity with Purchasing Guidelines for “Printing and Copying Papers”	□ Blended with a maximum rate of waste paper □ Meet levels of unexcessive brightness (except coated printing paper) □ Blended with a maximum amount of Elementally Chlorine Free (ECF) pulp □ Without excessive surface coating □ Without a plastic coating that prevents easy recycling of the paper (except some types of copying paper)
	2) Specifications and paper with a lesser chance for mis-fed paper to be generated shall be selected	□ Unusually sized specifications with a greater chance of mis-fed paper are avoided □ Paper with standard-size specifications less likely to be mis-fed are selected
	3) White paper and colored paper shall not be used at the same time	□ White paper and colored paper are not used at the same time.
2. < Applying to Ink>
	1) Oil solvent not containing aromatic components and inks containing more vegetable oil and less oil solvent shall be used	□ Level 1 Uses only oil solvent that does not contain aromatic components (1% or less). (Aromatic-free ink) □ Level 2 The content of vegetable oil in the ink is 20% or more. Or, the content of oil solvent of the ink is 15% or less (Offset-rotary-press ink is excluded)
	2) Ink that does not contain potentially harmful chemicals shall be used	□ The ink is in conformity with “The voluntary regulations of the printing ink for food-packaging materials” (NL Regulations) by THE JAPAN FEDERATION OF PRINTING INDUSTRIES
3. <Applying to Surface Treatment>
	1) The necessity of surface treatment (film application and varnishing) shall be considered	□ Surface treatment is not needed □ Surface treatment is needed → Consider 2)
	2) When the surface treatment is needed, a glue or varnish not containing oil solvent shall be used	□ The glue or varnish does not contain oil solvent.
4. <Applying to Bookbinding and Other Treatments>
	1) In case glue is used for bookbinding, glue that can be recycled without difficulty shall be used	□ EVA-type hot-melt glue, the non-segmenting ability of which has been improved, or polyurethane-type hot-melt glue shall be used
	2) For attached materials, including binding materials for book and calendar covers and inserted supplements, materials other than paper shall be used as little as possible	□ The attached materials other than paper are not used. ? <→To use the attached materials other than paper> □ With the specifications, it is easy to separate the waste from attached materials. □Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is not used.
5. <Displaying Information on Printed Materials>
	Information about the paper, surface treatment, ink, binding method, and other matters shall be clearly displayed on printed materials.	□ The environmental information is displayed on printed materials.

The Points to be considered by the ordering side:

If you consider the following points when ordering printing services, you can reduce the consumption of the resources and energy for proofing and reprinting.

Make a complete original copy from the start, and fully check the first proof thereby reducing the number of times to check subsequent copies
Do not reprint in order to achieve unnecessarily high quality.

Part II : Selection of Suppliers

Important environmental issues to consider in the selection of suppliers

(This part shall also be used as an answering sheet for printing-service suppliers)
We confirm that the contents stated below are true.
	Entry Date: Year/　　Month/　　Day/
Name of Supplier:	Job title of person in charge:	Name (given name, family name):Signature:

Address	TEL:	FAX:
	□ : Member of Green Purchasing Network (GPN)

1. Environment management system
Guidelines	Checklist
An environment management system to methodically conserve the environment shall be established	<Level 1> □ You have established environmental policies □ You have clearly designated a system for responsibly dealing with the environmental matters □ You have educated your employees to raise their consciousness for the protection of the environment □ You have a grasp of related environmental laws and regulations 　 <Level 2> □ After determining your environmental load, you have worked out plans and set goals to reduce it □ You have regularly verified the environment management system and the results of your efforts to make your future activities more effective □ You have made efforts to conserve the environment in accordance with the voluntary standards of the industry 　 [Standards, etc.] If you have standards and/or programs for environment management, enter them below:

2. Efforts to conserve the environment

1) The efforts to promote digital processes for plate making and plate printing (promoting DTP and CTP) shall be made.	□ You have made efforts to promote digital processes for plate making and plate printing. (promoting DTP and CTP) *5)
2) The efforts to reduce or recycle the developing solution, the fixing solution, and the washing water, all of which are used for plate making and plate printing processes, shall be made.	□ You have made efforts to reduce or recycle the developing solution, the fixing solution, and the washing water, all of which are used for plate making and plate printing processes.
3) The VOCs, which can volatilize in the printing process, shall be appropriately controlled or treated so that they cannot flow into the air.	□ You have not used isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the dampening solution for the printing process. Or, you have reduced the concentration of the solution to 5% or less.
	□ For an offset rotary press using heat-setting ink, you have installed the device to treat exhaust gas.
4) The efforts to select energy and resource saving machines shall be made for the introduction of printing machines.	□ You have made efforts to select energy and resource saving machines when you introduce printing machines.
5) You shall be able to provide the ordering client with some recommendations on the production of environmentally conscious printed materials.	□ You can recommend to the customer ways to conserve the environment, such as selecting the specifications and paper less likely to be to be mis-fed, appropriately selecting the ink, the appropriate surface-treatment method and the appropriate binding method.
6) The generation of wastes shall be controlled and wastes shall be recycled or treated appropriately.	□ You have reused and recycled waste paper thoroughly. □ You have promoted recycling of ink containers. □ You have promoted recycling of wrapping (roll unwrapping machines for wrapping paper, the wrapping for plate-making materials, PP bands, etc.). □ Other efforts
7) You shall make efforts to practice Green Purchasing	□ You have established your policies to practice Green Purchasing. < You have practiced Green Purchasing in the following areas> □ Paper (Corporate Profiles, Business Cards, Estimates, Copying Paper, etc) □ Office Equipment (Stationery/Office Supplies, Office Furniture, OA Equipment, Personal Computers, etc) □ Company Automobiles (Low-emission Cars, Fuel-efficient Cars, Other Types of Vehicles) □Materials Made of Recycled Components, Materials Generating Less Wastes, etc □ Other Areas *For the practice of Green Purchasing, refer to the Green Purchasing Network (GPN) web site [www.gpn.jp].
8) You shall make efforts to control and/or reduce chemicals and other environmentally harmful products.	□ Your have controlled chemicals and other environmentally harmful products in conformity with the PRTR (Pollutant Release and Transfer Register) system. □ Other efforts *For the control and/or reduction of chemicals and other environmentally harmful products, refer to the web site of PRTR of the Environment Ministry [www.env.go.jp/chemi/prtr/risk0.html].
9) You shall actively promote other activities to reduce environmental loads	It is desirable to promote other activities to reduce environmental loads resulting from your business activities in addition to the efforts listed above
□ Minimizing energies and resources □ Preventing air pollution □ Preventing water and soil pollution □ Other activities	[Open-ended]

3. Disclosure of Environmental Information

Environmental information shall be actively disclosed.

□ You have actively disclosed the information on your efforts and activities to conserve the environment.

（→Your concrete measures　　　　　　　　　　　　　）

*These guidelines are subject to change in accordance with new findings and changes in social conditions.

Established Dec 6, 2001

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Updated Nov 2004