Quad/Graphics has got goat. An environmental "spokesgoat" that is, and his name is Gruff. This is a good thing because it means that Quad/Graphics cares enough about the environment (and the health of all the fine citizens of the Badger state) to invent such a crazy character, and more importantly, to make environmental issues a priority.
Quad/Graphics uses Gruff to get the word out to employees about what the company is doing to help the environment. Gruff makes appearances in company newsletters, on-line and even has his own e-mail address to field environmental and recycling questions. Additionally, Quad uses an environmental kiosk located in their Sussex plant lunchroom and TV screens throughout their plants to get out environmental information so that employees can take personal responsibility and do what they can to reduce air pollution, recycle and help the environment.
As a member of the Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air, a coalition committed to improving air quality though voluntary actions, Quad/Graphics has taken a number of significant steps to reduce the air pollutants traditionally associated with printing operations.
Quad's gravure and ink-jet printing processes sport solvent recovery systems that capture evaporated ink solvent and recover it for re-use, preventing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from being released into the air. Quad notably pioneered and patented the solvent recovery system widely used today for ink-jet printing operations.
Quad has also upgraded the majority of their offset presses by switching from spray/brush automatic blanket wash systems to prepac blanket wash systems. These new systems have reduced solvent use by 98 percent per upgraded press.
Additionally, Quad has fit 78 presses with natural gas metering systems that monitor how much gas is consumed on press each minute. The system enables Quad to spot inefficiencies as soon as they happen and take more immediate actions to correct them. Gas metering has resulted in reduced gas usage, major cost savings and a cleaner environment. Quad is the only printer in the world currently employing this progressive technology.
Furthermore, Quad/Graphics is using ultrasonic detection to hear air leaks in their high and low-pressure air systems used in their production lines. Leak maintenance has lead to reduced consumption of electricity and translated to a savings of $184,000 in just one plant last year.
Quad is in the process of replacing all high-bay metal halide lights in manufacturing areas with energy-efficient fluorescent lights. Retrofitting just one plant will save $205,000 in power costs in the first year -- and Quad plans to retrofit all plants nationwide. Once completed, the environmental impact will be profound -- the equivalent of taking 114,697 cars off the road or saving 73,614,545 gallons of gas.
Quad is also purchasing the new lights from Orion Lighting, another environmentally conscious company from Wisconsin.
As a practice, Quad purchases only Energy Star certified copiers, TVs, computers, monitors and printers. Energy Star machines consume less energy during the "sleep" state, and printers automatically power down when they have not been used in a certain amount of time. Green machines save money and reduce emissions by decreasing energy use. Moreover, Quad's "Lights Out" program encourages employees to turn off unnecessary lighting.
In 1999, Quad/Graphics co-founded the Wisconsin Initiative Seeking Energy Reform (WISER) to ensure reliable, affordable energy for consumer groups. One of its initial accomplishments was the drafting of language in the Wisconsin R2K bill to implement an energy buy-back program, whereby companies were paid by utilities to reduce capacity during periods of energy shortages.
With this program, the environment benefits from the reduced energy consumption, the companies benefit from the financial incentive and the utilities benefit because it is cheaper to pay companies to reduce their demand rather than to pay high import prices to meet that demand. This works out nicely because energy shortages most often occur during hot summer months when ozone is also a problem. Reduced energy use contributes to a reduced amount of contaminants being released into the air.
Quad/Graphics has also agreed to be one of the first Wisconsin companies to go on board with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Voluntary Emissions Reductions Registry. The Registry will help Quad to quantify the impact of their pollution control improvements and will create an official record so that as air regulations change Quad will be sure to be credited for their efforts to improve air quality ahead of the game.
Quad encourages employees to utilize mass transit options and has a flex plan that allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars for eligible transportation expenses such as train passes and bus tickets. They also utilize two 12-hour work shifts (as opposed to three eight-hour shifts) and compressed work weeks (three days per week), reducing vehicle miles on the road and saving millions of gallons of gas and a significant reduction in mobile source air emissions.
Duplainville Transport, Quad/Graphics' distribution subsidiary, sees to it that all trucks leaving Quad's plants are filled to capacity. They also ensure that trucks never return pulling an empty trailer so that no miles on the road are wasted.
