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At SJC, our commitment to environmental responsibility dates back decades. That's why we're pleased to announce our latest milestone: our print facilities have officially achieved carbon neutrality.
To be carbon neutral means that any CO2 released into the atmosphere from a company's activities is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed.
But what exactly does this mean, and why does it matter for our company, our customers and our planet? Let's dive in.
Our latest step in a multi-pronged approach
SJC Print has taken industry-leading action to minimize its carbon footprint, including investments in efficiency that have reduced our waste and energy consumption. As we continue to find ways to directly cut emissions, we've partnered with Carbonzero for a present-day path to carbon neutrality.
“As we extend our long-term commitment to print sustainability through a multi-pronged approach, offsets are an important tool to offer immediate environmental benefits during this journey,” says John Gagliano, president of SJC Print. “Carbonzero has been an important partner to rigorously measure and vet our offset, and ensure concrete, measurable impact.”
The specific offset initiative SJC Print is investing in is the Landfill Gas to Energy Project in Niagara, Ontario, which captures landfill gas and processes it into a usable fuel source for distribution via pipeline to a nearby recycled paper mill. This action significantly reduces the energy requirements of the facility and further mitigates its climatic impact.
A Commitment Born Three Decades Ago
Our sustainability journey began many years ago. In 1990, we built our flagship facility with groundbreaking environmental standards – a bold move for the era. This includes features like trim collection and waste recycling systems engineered into the facility. That same year, SJC won the first-ever Environmental Award for Business Excellence from The Financial Post. Sustainability has remained one of our defining principles, pushing us to continuously seek new ways to minimize our environmental impact.
The Path to Carbon Neutrality
Achieving carbon neutrality has been a multi-pronged, multi-year effort. Here’s how we found that balance:
- Energy Efficiency: We've invested in energy-saving equipment, lighting upgrades and building optimization.
- Waste Not, Want Not: Comprehensive recycling and waste management systems minimize what goes to landfills.
- Materials Matter: We prioritize sustainable paper options, including responsibly sourced and recycled content
The Journey Continues
Carbon neutrality for our print facilities is an important milestone, but it’s only the beginning. We are continually looking at new ways to reduce waste, increase efficiencies and adopt sustainable practices across our business.
What Does Carbon Neutrality Mean for You?
While our facilities are now carbon neutral, ensuring the environmental-friendliness of every print project requires careful collaboration. We're committed to helping our clients make informed choices:
- Paper Power: Explore our range of sustainable paper options.
- Scope It Out: Let's assess your project to identify ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
- Offset the Rest: If necessary, we can facilitate carbon offsets to neutralize any remaining emissions through our partnership with Carbonzero. Carbon neutrality for a particular print project is an important commitment to communicate to your own consumers.
Investing in carbon neutral projects will help to meet the growing consumer demand for eco-conscious products, positively impacting your brand's own sustainability image and all you communicate their contributions to a greener future.
Beyond Facilities: The Partners in Growth® Difference
For 34 years, every customer of SJC Print has been an automatic participant in our Partners in Growth® tree-planting program. With every ton of paper used, we contribute to the planting of a tree in partnership with Trees for Life. This also applies to our own SJC Media brands including Maclean’s, Toronto Life and Chatelaine. Partners in Growth® has resulted in millions of trees planted across Canada, improving air quality, safeguarding biodiversity, beautifying our communities and fighting climate change.
Partner with Change
To find out how SJC can help you boost the sustainability of your next marketing project – and plant trees in the process – let’s connect. Together, we can make a tangible difference to better our planet.
