The Griffin Press Carbon Calculator, the first of its kind in the Australian book manufacturing industry, was designed by Griffin Press and parent company PMP to better understand the carbon footprint of manufacturing and printing books and to demonstrate how Griffin Press, PMP Limited and clients can improve the environmental impact of this process.
Feedback from the industry highlighted that publishers were looking for carbon emission information that was specific to the manufacturing methodology that Griffin Press uses in its printing presses, not simply an industry average or a calculation sourced from manufacturing in other countries.
The resulting Griffin Press Carbon Calculator was developed in line with the ISO 14040 and ISO 14064 life cycle analysis and greenhouse gas measurement standards, ensuring that all emission sources were captured.
Ben Jolly, general manager of Griffin Press says, “We actively work towards reducing our footprint and want to encourage our customers to do the same.
“The Carbon Calculator provides Griffin-specific calculations to enable our customers to reduce the footprint of manufacturing their book by calculating the number of carbon offsets that can be purchased should they choose to do so. These carbon offsets can then be purchased in the marketplace, or we can provide a quote from certified carbon offset suppliers.”
In order to ensure that the Carbon Calculator was certified for use by its clients, Griffin Press engaged Perenia Carbon, a specialist firm in this area, to perform a complete greenhouse gas inventory assessment of their book printing facility.
The Carbon Calculator includes a number of components to provide as much detail as possible on the carbon emissions generated throughout the book manufacturing process:
- Manufacturing of raw materials
- Manufacture of the book (not the publishing or retailing)
- Energy consumed on site in the production of the book
- Transport of raw materials to the production site, and transport of books and waste from the site
- Waste disposal of excess material from the manufacturing process
Jolly adds, “The launch of the Griffin Press Carbon Calculator is the latest in a series of investments PMP is making in the business, and includes the launch of Global Print Solutions and the arrival of Australia’s first HP T350 inkjet web press earlier in this year.
“The HP T350 inkjet web press can produce 1,000 books per hour and this, along with the launch of the Carbon Calculator, is putting Griffin Press at the forefront of book printing in this country.”
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter