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What is the first step a printer needs to take to become a certified SGP Printer? |
First, applicant should download the SGP criteria document at www.sgppartnership.org. This document contains all the requirements for the SGP program and is the roadmap to gaining certification.
Actual involvement begins with the online application process. The application itself contains requests information about your facility’s compliance status with environmental and safety regulations and asks you to attach a copy of your sustainability policy. Completing the application is straightforward and includes four easy steps:
• Register on line to set up an account and establish a password
• Complete the application
• Upload your written sustainability policy
• Pay the application fee
The application can only be completed online, but all interested printing operations are highly encouraged to download the PDF version of the application so that all of the questions can be reviewed prior to completing the application.
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Is this program for big companies or can small facilities apply? |
| Experience has shown that even very small companies can become certified and reap the benefits of completing the process. Also, don’t forget that the supporting trade associations have developed a variety of resources and tools to help members meet the criteria. Contact your supporting trade association if you have any questions or need assistance. |
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How long does it take to get certified as a SGP Printer? |
| It is expected that the process can be completed within 12 months. |
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We have two locations. Only one does all the printing, the other is a bindery operation. Do we need to certify both? |
| The SGP Partnership criteria apply to both printing and bindery operations. Under the SGP program, both would be eligible to receive certification if they were located in the same building or are contiguous to each other. |
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What is the cost of registration? |
The application fee depends on whether or not you are a member of a partner organization and is as follows:
$295 for members of a Partner Association
$450 for members of a Supporting Association
$595 for all others
The audit verification fees are as follows (plus auditor expenses and fees associated with corrective actions):
$1,500 for members of a Partner Association
$2,000 for members of a Supporting Association
$3,000 for all others
See the SGP website www.sgppartnership.org for a listing of Partner and Supporting associations.
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What are the criteria requirements to enter the program as a SGP Applicant and then become a certified SGP Printer? |
| Once a facility has successfully submitted its application and sustainability policy, as well as embraced the SGP Guiding Principles, they are considered an SGP Applicant. All SGP Applicants are posted on the SGP Partnership web site as such. To become certified, the applicant needs to successfully undergo a third party audit indicating compliance with all criteria outlined by the SGP Partnership program. |
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Why were U.S. EPA and OSHA compliance requirements incorporated into the criteria? |
| Regulatory compliance serves as the foundation for the program. All SGP certified printers must have an active program in place to ensure compliance with all relevant environmental, safety and health requirements. There are no universal compliance requirements, so the printer will need to meet the requirements established by their local and state requirements as well as any applicable federal ones. |
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What is the purpose of the “Sustainability Policy?” |
| The Sustainability Policy is a public statement for a company and a primary communication tool to its customers, vendors, and other stakeholders or interested parties. |
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The Sustainable Management System (SMS) seems very involved, it is really necessary? |
| The SMS is the core component of the SGP Printer program. While U.S. EPA and OSHA compliance is the starting point, the SMS provides the pathway to sustainability and the continuing journey. Those printers who have achieved success with their customers have implemented a management approach that is both systematic and systemic. |
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Can you provide examples of an annual project that a printer might implement? |
| When you apply you are asked to set a goal for the next 12 months. The goal needs to be meaningful and “SMART.” SMART refers to specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. For example, the project can be implementing a paper recycling program in the front office to reduce waste by 20%, planting low maintenance, native plants in your landscaping to reduce water use by 10%, purchasing supplies from a local company to reduce the amount of fuel used for transportation by 30%. When you have a Sustainability Management System you establish a process map to evaluate what is going in and out of your facility. Then you do some type of risk ranking to determine your concerns and what your opportunities may be. Goals and targets are different for each facility. There are no requirements relating to the magnitude of the project, but it needs to be something of merit. |
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What does the on-site verification audit entail? |
After the application has been approved, the applicant will be sent a Desk Top Audit. This audit checklist will contain a list of documents that need to be submitted to the auditor. The auditor will review these documents in conjunction with the information provided on the application and if all of them are in order, schedule the audit.
SGP Auditors are trained to follow a specific verification protocol that includes an interview, plant tour, and conversations with staff on the plant floor, in the front office, and throughout the company. Sustainability should be pervasive throughout the operation, and the auditor will want to talk to those involved in the effort.
Expect that it will take a full 8-hour day and it is typically broken into two days with 4 hours of auditing each day. At the end of the audit, the auditor will prepare a written report with a recommend for or against certification. If they recommend against certification, the applicant receives a list of deficient items or corrective actions and a deadline by which to resolve them. SGP will then follow up to make sure that the deficiencies have been corrected.
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Do your raw material (paper) suppliers or yourself need to be FSC or SFI certified for you to be considered a "GREEN" or compliant SGP Printer? |
| No. There is not a prerequisite for the printer or the printer’s supplier to be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Chain of Custody Certified to become either a SGP Applicant or a SGP Printer. The FSC, SFI, and PEFC program only address the source of the fiber used to make paper and the printer’s paper handling system. They do not address how the paper is manufactured or how the particular print job is printed. The SGP Partnership addresses how the printed product is manufactured. |
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How can suppliers be part of the SGP Program? |
| Suppliers are not certified under the SGP program. They can work on their own initiatives to develop sustainable products. They could also consider being a SGP Patron of the SGP Partnership. More information can be found on the SGP website www.sgppartnership.org. |
