In today’s setting of environmentally conscious business, industries that have proven detrimental to the environment are being intensely scrutinized and restructured in order to lessen their carbon footprints and negative influence on the earth’s vital natural resources. The practices that have historically been associated with printing place it alongside these environmentally damaging industries because of the consumption of fossil fuels required by traditional presses and the use of Volatile Organic Compounds (often referred to as VOC’s). However, over the past twenty years new options have emerged for the environmentally conscious printing press to eliminate the use of VOC’s and reduce or replace fossil fuels.
How a business can incorporate these new practices in the interest of the Green movement while still offering competitive prices and quality customer service is a story worth telling considering the example it could provide for other presses still currently engaging in detrimental printing techniques. In the Spring 2009 issue of Green Business Quarterly, the story of how Bacchus Press reformatted their business to be a fully Green enterprise displays that such lofty ideals are a tangible reality for printing presses of the twenty-first century.
In his interview with Green Business Quarterly, Bacchus Press CEO and President Mansoor Assadi states that, “Environmental responsibility was always an issue for Bacchus, years before we even knew had bad things had gotten”. Back in 1980, Assadi purchased a failing printing press, immediately renamed it and began to update its processes, installing new presses and throwing away outdated equipment. It was clear to Assadi even before the present day environmental crisis that the next logical step for Bacchus Press was to make the press as environmentally friendly as possible. With this in mind, Bacchus began using Soy and Vegetable based inks that incorporated little or no VOC’s and attained certifications with the Forest Stewardship Council to ensure the paper they utilized adhered to the strictest standards of sustainability. With these updates and an almost fanatical approach to recycling all possible materials, Bacchus Press found themselves to be a fully Green business.
Some years later, Bacchus found that they already met all of the prerequisites of the Bay Area Green Business Council, and thus quickly garnered another certification endorsing their commitment to the environment. Even though Bacchus Press is already regarded as one of the most sustainable printing presses in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mansoor Assadi and his employees continue to struggle for higher standards, as is displayed by their recent induction to the Carbon Fund Partnership which offsets the monthly utility bills of their office with wind, water and solar power. Clearly, Bacchus Press intends to continue their commitment to Green sustainability on into the coming years while still maintaining a quality work ethic and valuing customer satisfaction above all else.
More on the story of Bacchus Press and other prominent Green businesses can be read in the Spring 2009 issue of Green Business Quarterly. For a closer look at Bacchus Press and their commitment to sustainable printing practices, their website includes descriptions of their environmentally conscious products and services.
Bacchus Press Blog 