Heidelberg Organizes "Environmental Dialog" at Print Media Academy

Published: May 07, 2009

KENNESAW, GA | More and more print shops are adhering to the principles of sustainability, and for several years Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has employed a variety of measures for minimizing the use of resources and for reducing emissions and waste or even eliminating them altogether—both in its own manufacturing operations and in the subsequent use of the presses it produces. Intensive dialog with users, i.e., print shops, is an important part of this strategy, says the company.

In order to encourage print shops with an interest in the environment to share know-how and to make ideas that have already been implemented accessible to others, Heidelberg initiated its first "Environmental Dialog" at the end of March. During this event at the Print Media Academy, a dozen or more representatives of print shops with excellent green credentials—mostly from German-speaking countries—discussed issues relating to environmental protection in the print media industry with representatives of various associations.

The event was hosted by Dr. Achim Schorb from the IFEU (Inst. for Energy and Environmental Research) in Heidelberg, Germany. Two print shops presented their environmental concepts: Lokay-Druck from Reinheim near Darmstadt is looking to become Germany’s most environmentally friendly print shop by 2012, while Stark-Druck, a web and offset printer from Pforzheim in Baden-Württemberg, is hoping to heat both its own premises and those of a neighboring mail order company with the waste heat from its machinery.