How does a company that uses tons of paper, gallons of ink and truckloads of packaging become the first printer in the U.S. to achieve the highest zero waste certification?
Posty Cards and PrintForest used many strategies to achieve the U.S. Green Building Council’s TRUE® Platinum Zero Waste certification and become the first printing facility in the U.S. and first company in Missouri to achieve the platinum level for waste reduction initiatives.
Posty Cards is a Kansas City based manufacturer of business-to-business greeting cards and owner of PrintForest, a new sustainable, business printing division that also plants trees to offset all paper use. The TRUE® Platinum certification, one of many third-party verifications achieved by Posty Cards and PrintForest, documents the diversion of more than 90 percent of the company’s solid waste from landfills, while cutting greenhouse gases and reducing costs.
“It’s exciting to see that our zero-waste and recycling efforts are equivalent to the carbon-reducing impact of planting 4,400 trees in 2019 alone,” said Erick Jessee, president, Posty Cards and PrintForest.
TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) is a nationally recognized program of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). To achieve it, Posty Cards/PrintForest:
- Reduced trash collection and costs by 83 percent
- Recycled more than 2.7-million pounds of materials in 10 years
- Replaced office trash cans with “sort me bins” that employees sort at recycling stations, nearly zeroing out office trash and eliminating trash bags
- Saved more than 32,000 tons of paper in 2019
- Composted all food and yard waste
- Replaced all single-use disposable plastics with compostable and reusable wares
- Engaged employees in reuse and recycling, and encouraged them to bring in glass and electronics for recycling, while taking home non-recyclables like pallets for repurposing
- Repurposed previously owned office furniture, supplies and even a shipping container for a solar-lit shed
- Purchased recycled products
To learn more, USGBC Central Plains will host a TRUE Zero Waste Webinar featuring Posty Cards and PrintForest from 12-1 pm. (CST) on Thursday, July 9. Register at USGBC Central Plains. For more details, see the zero waste video at either PrintForest or Posty Cards.
“Posty Cards recognizes that by pursuing zero waste they are helping us build a sustainable future for all,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC and GBCI. “Waste impacts all facets of business, and changing the way we use resources will deliver public health benefits, reduce our environmental impact and advance a greener economy.”
The company’s sustainability commitment includes Forest Stewardship Council certified paper, 100-percent Green-e renewable energy, USGBC LEED Platinum certification and planting trees.
Photo: Tina Moessner, Posty Cards/PrintForest sustainability coordinator, helps employees learn how to recycle their waste.