Green thinking good for printing business | Manawatu-Wanganui News | Local News in Manawatu-Wanganui

 Being sustainable is good for business and good for the environment.

That's the word from APN Print Wanganui plant manager Adam Kerse, whose company has just achieved a gold award for environmental sustainability.

The company, which prints the Wanganui Chronicle, recently achieved Landcare Research's Enviro-Mark New Zealand Gold Standard after more than a year of work.

Mr Kerse said working for the award involved a considerable turn-around in the way APN Print Wanganui did its business.

He estimated that at least 85 per cent of the company's waste - mostly paper - was now recycled. Before working towards the award, 100 per cent went to the landfill.

"We also focused on understanding the environmental impacts of our business and set some targets around that.

Mr Kerse said "the big one" was getting the message out to staff. "We didn't want it to be just lip service. But the staff were pretty keen on the idea and bought into it."

Mr Kerse said the main commitments for staff have been getting into the habit of recycling and reducing energy.

"Reducing energy for us means the job is done in the most efficient manner - turning off a few lights is good, but it doesn't really cut it.

"If the job is done efficiently it makes good business sense, as well as environmental sense."

Mr Kerse said he would recommend the Enviro-Mark awards.

"It allows you to know your business well, and to learn how to do business better and more sustainably. It makes us feel good knowing that hardly any of our waste goes to the landfill now."