From the Editor

FSC and the In-plant

THE DEPARTMENT of Printing isn’t the only in-plant doing noteworthy things in the state of Washington. About 330 miles to the east, Washington State University is about to become one of the first university in-plants to receive its chain of custody certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Director of Printing Steven Rigby says WSU has a strong environmental commitment and is involved in several sustainability initiatives.

“Since we’re the biggest user of paper products here, we felt like it was our duty to fall in line,” he says.

Once the in-plant receives its certification, it will be able to include the FSC logo on its printed products, telling the world about WSU’s commitment to the environment and to well-managed forests. This will undoubtedly impress the public, potential students and donors, among others.

The certification process was not easy, Rigby notes. He had to detail, in a lengthy report, the in-plant’s purchasing, production and finished product handling practices, as well as its record-keeping methods, training initiatives and more. An auditor visited and assessed the in-plant’s efforts.

Among the changes the operation had to make was storing its FSC-certified paper separately from other paper. Rigby says the in-plant’s Hagen OA shop management system proved a big help in the certification process, since paper can be marked as FSC-certified when the order is placed, and that tag follows the job all the way through to delivery and billing.

FSC certification is not free. It can cost from $2,500 to $4,000, and about the same again for each annual audit, according to two auditors I talked to. But Rigby feels certification can pay off for any in-plant, just as it’s paying off for the corporations touting their environmental awareness (see “Forest Certification” story on page 20). Several deans at WSU are excited about the in-plant’s certification, Rigby says. This could lead to more printing business, but more importantly it will enhance the image of the university—which is more or less every in-plant’s goal.

A couple of other in-plants are moving in this direction. One in-plant that I spoke with at an energy company is on the verge of getting its FSC certification, but wasn’t yet ready to talk about it.

John D.L. Johnson, manager of the Graphics Division for Palm Beach County, Fla., has started looking into it, but he acknowledges the costs are high, especially for a tax-funded in-plant. Still, he feels customer demand may drive his parent organization to recognize the benefits of certification, especially since “it really is the right thing to do.”

In the months ahead, we will be looking further into FSC certification, what’s involved in obtaining it and the benefits it can bring to your in-plant.