Printing with a green twist
MET Fine Printers says sustainability at all levels helps environment and bottom line
Nikos Kallas of MET Fine Printers has turned his business green and implemented a zero- waste policy and environmentally friendly inks. He’s finding the process helps profits.
Nikos Kallas believes green is the printing industry’s most striking colour.
The president of Vancouver’s family- owned MET Fine Printers has been a longtime believer that a zero- waste policy, including environmentally friendly inks and Forest Stewardship Council ( FSC)- approved paper, is not only right but profitable.
“I believe it [ and adherence to green principles] is the future, not only in the printing industry, but in all industry,” said Kallas, whose company has won several awards and recognition as one of Vancouver’s leaders in green business.
“It’s giving green companies a competitive advantage now, but in the future all companies will be green. It’s saved us a lot of money. We recycle everything. Each desk has a recycling bin.”
MET, which does many types of commercial printing, including brochures and catalogues, was founded in 1977 by Nikos’s father, George Kallas. He recently handed over the business to Nikos, who grew up playing among the company’s printing presses.
Nikos Kallas recalls as a child that the stacked paper was great for making paper airplanes, but that he gradually started wondering what happened to used paper, printing sheets or leftover ink.
The company’s first environmental innovations happened about 15 years ago, when his father had to answer some uncomfortable questions from his kids about paper recycling.
Soon after, MET not only introduced a comprehensive recycling program but pushed its paper vendors to do the same.
Before introducing its recycling program, Kallas added, MET spent about $ 3,000 per month on waste disposal. Now, it spends just $ 300 on average and even generates a small revenue from recycling waste.
In 2004, MET switched over its presses to ultraviolet lightactivated inks and coatings,
It’s giving green companies a competitive advantage now, but in the future all companies will be green. NIKOS KALLAS PRESIDENT, MET FINE PRINTERS
which was a hefty investment but is now a benchmark for environmental printing practices, as they release zero volatile organic compound emissions.
More recently, the company created a process to refurbish equipment to expand its usable life and keep materials out of landfills. It also bought its own book bindery to reduce the costs and emissions associated with farming out such projects.
Last year, the company offset 256 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of carbon offsets, and it is committed to increasing business five per cent annually while maintaining or reducing emissions.
Kallas said MET, with 47 employees and 2011 revenues of about $ 15 million, has seen tangible financial benefits despite the extra cost involved in carbon offsetting, because many customers like doing business with green companies.
“It’s definitely helped our business get new clients,” Kallas added.
“If [ clients] have an option to print on FSC paper, they’ll choose FSC paper if it’s competitive.”
Scott Gray, the company’s vice- president of branding, noted that for companies thinking of going green, it’s important that they scrutinize their operations at all levels.
“Start a recycling program and make it part of your DNA. Put a blue box under everybody’s desk. And listen to your kids.”
Meanwhile, Lloyd Lee, business development and marketing manager for Climate Smart, which helps small- and mediumsized businesses reduce their environmental impact, said it’s often more difficult for smaller businesses to go green because of the costs involved.
One way to change that, he said, is for smaller companies to band together and negotiate a single contract for such things as waste- hauling and recycling contracts.
As well, he said, individual companies have to set the rules.
“A lot of this is around behaviour changes, being clear to staff that they’re trying to achieve [ waste reduction]. They can gradually reduce the number of garbage cans and then give every desk a recycling bin.”