The Swedish printer Lenanders Grafiska is providing climate neutral products with ClimatePartner

Oct. 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Kalmar / Munich – The Swedish printer Lenanders Grafiska AB now offers customers the opportunity to order climate neutral print products. This makes them the first Swedish printer to have calculated their carbon footprint with the climate protection consultancy ClimatePartner and to invest, upon customer request, in recognized carbon offset projects to compensate greenhouse gases generated by printing.

Lenanders Grafiska AB is an offset and digital printer in the Swedish city of Kalmar and has been active in environmental protection for years. The company has received awards for its environmental activities and is a bearer of, among other distinctions, the Swan Label. This Label is awarded to companies, goods, and services that meet high environmental and climate protection standards, developed on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers. Furthermore, the printer is ISO 14001 certified and a member of REPA, the Swedish recycling association. Now, Lenanders Grafiska AB is expanding its climate protection endeavors by offering climate neutral printing in collaboration with ClimatePartner.

In order to offer customers climate neutral print products, the first step was to calculate the company’s CO2 footprint. After collecting emissions-relevant data, such as electricity, heating, machinery, and business travel, internationally recognized standards were applied to document relevant greenhouse gases. This company-specific CO2 balance sheet was used as a basis for configuring an individualized CO2 calculator for customer orders at Lenanders Grafiska AB. In addition to paper grades and types of ink used, the carbon emission factor for moistening and cleaning agents as well as the printing process itself were calculated.

For CO2 emissions that cannot be avoided or reduced over the short-term, the mechanism of climate neutrality is employed. The mechanism allows the compensation of carbon emissions caused at a specific location on our planet to be offset by the reduction of carbon at a different location across the globe. This can be done by investing in recognized carbon offset projects. The company’s customers can select the desired carbon offset project individually from a portfolio.

A print product of which CO2 emissions have been offset is labeled as “climate neutral printing” or “klimatneutral utskrift” in Swedish. In addition to this ClimatePartner seal, a unique ID number is generated and printed on the product. By entering this ID on the website of ClimatePartner, anyone can review the amount of CO2 generated during the printing process and which climate protection project was selected for carbon offsetting. This entire ClimatePartner process including the collection of emission-relevant data, the calculation and the compensation of emissions is certified by the technical inspection authority (TÜV).

“Lenanders Grafiska AB has been operating on the market for more than 60 years. We have always aimed to fulfill our customers’ wishes in the best possible way. When we heard about the opportunity to offer our customers climate neutral printing products, we have promptly taken a decision. Climate neutral printing is an ideal supplement to our existing services. Thus, we and our customers can actively engage in climate protection,” says Magnus Gottfridsson, CEO at Lenanders Grafiska AB.

Moritz Lehmkuhl, CEO at ClimatePartner: “Lenanders Grafiska is not only the northernmost printer, but also the first printer in Sweden to collaborate with ClimatePartner. Climate neutral printing is an international issue – today our services are used in more than 20 countries. Therefore, I am particularly pleased that we have a Swedish printer among our customers now.”

About Lenanders Grafiska AB

Lenanders Grafiska AB is an offset and digital printing company located in the south-east of Sweden, close to the uniquely beautiful island of Öland, offering online and publishing services. It operates a graphic and product design studio, a web design studio for 3D illustrations and visualizations, and a bookbindery along with distribution and storage. The company has been on the forefront for more than 60 years and is certified as a one of the first nordic eco-labelled printing houses. Furthermore, the printer is ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, and ISO 12647-2 certified.

About ClimatePartner

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Munich, this climate protection consultancy has associated companies in the USA, Japan, Austria, Greece and Armenia. ClimatePartner delivers individual climate protection solutions for more than 1,000 customers from all over the world, mainly consisting of large and medium-sized companies. This climate protection consultancy is certified by the technical inspection authority (TÜV) as a provider of online-based CO2 balancing and CO2 offsetting. ClimatePartner works closely with environmental organizations and is a member in various international committees.