Socially
responsible.
At Smartpress, we believe in making positive change by carefully sourcing the material we print on, continually integrating environmentally-conscious practices, and supporting our employees and local community.
Smartpress is carbon neutral and committed to environmental protection and stewardship.
Smartpress has been carbon neutral since January 2020. In order to help us reach this necessary milestone and reduce our business' eco impact, we've partnered with an environmental solutions provider to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Carbon Offsets (COs).
We offset emissions made directly by our facilities and vehicles (Scope 1), as well as emissions generated by the electricity purchased from our energy partners (Scope 2). We're even mapping out how to offset emissions made by our supply and distribution chain, employees commuting, business travel and waste disposal (Scope 3).
And since most companies with carbon offset programs usually offset only Scope 1, Smartpress is way ahead of the game!
Smartpress' printing presses are digital, and therefore waterless, saving thousands of gallons of water per year. In fact, none of our production processes use water as a consumable material. And since our presses do not use hazardous inks, we've reduced the chemicals impacting the environment.
We also donate to Printing Industry Midwest's annual surplus-paper drive, giving pallets of leftover paper to local school teachers for their print and art programs.
Throughout our production area, every station is equipped with various recycling and/or disposal bins. When suppliers send us production materials, the packaging (i.e. cardboard boxes, pallets) gets sorted and repurposed or recycled through our waste partners. Scrap paper, cardboard, plastic and styrene are also carefully sorted and recycled.
Our box crusher compacts waste boxes to create more density, which ensures they can be handled efficiently as they make their way to be recycled (using less fuel, emissions and labor during transport).
We even leverage software that maximizes the principle area on press sheets, thus using as many square inches as possible to reduce waste. And any materials that cannot be recycled (think laminated paper, plastic tubes, ink canisters, foam core, waxy paper and tape) are often used for energy recovery.
Show that you print responsibly. Add our complimentary "Smartpress, Carbon Neutral Printing" graphic to your next project.
Our facilities feature motion detection lights that automatically turn off in areas that aren't in active use, while our electrical consumption is lowered through high-efficiency lighting, controls and HVAC retrofits. And we undergo annual comprehensive energy audits to look for energy-saving project opportunities.
We've made investments in equipment to specifically reduce our carbon footprint: our HP presses were made with recycled materials and recyclable parts. They were even manufactured CO2-neutral.
We also give our employees a reusable silverware set to prevent single-use plastic from entering our waste stream.
More and more of our clients are requesting “green” material options for their online printing needs. We’re constantly seeking the latest environmentally-conscious technology and materials, while sourcing products through suppliers who focus on sustainability whenever possible. Learn more about our sustainable products and eco-friendly substrates. We've even implemented sustainable packaging.
To help our clients reduce their carbon footprint, we offer recycled paper and reused material options. When choosing your print substrate, look for eco-friendly options like recycled paper, plant-based materials and sustainably-managed materials. To learn about our substrates, click the “More Information” icon by the Stock choices on product pages. If you don’t see a green option you’d like, contact us for a Custom Quote and we’ll try to accommodate your needs!
Smartpress has developed a Sustainable Procurement Program that ensures we source our products from businesses that reflect our moral and ethical values. We aim to continually improve the sustainability level of our supply chain by incorporating environmental and social principles into our purchasing program.
The program provides our suppliers with a sustainability scorecard and tools for benchmarking to improve their sustainability practices. We believe this methodology increases transparency, encourages collaboration and facilitates ongoing improvement.
Corporate Social Responsibility
CSR is a priority for Smartpress and our parent company, The Bernard Group. Spearheaded by our leadership team and backed by employees who care, it's something baked into the very fabric of our day-to-day operations. Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look at our comprehensive approach.
This nonprofit creates economic opportunities for local Indigenous people through reforestation and renewable energy projects across U.S. tribal lands and Central America. We partner with them to plant trees in South Dakota to combat climate change, assist in the restoration of critical riparian zones in Colorado and reforest fire damaged landscapes in New Mexico.
Hope House is an emergency shelter for youth ages 14-19 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in the southwest Twin Cities metro. Our donations help Hope House turn young people's lives around by nurturing self-sufficiency and independence with a goal of reconciliation and family unification
We donate funds to this women's homeless shelter that offers a safe environment where women can stabilize, heal and work to overcome histories of abuse, chemical dependency, homelessness and incarceration.
Our employees adopt families in need during the holiday season and purchase and wrap gifts for their children. Neighbors Inc. supports low income households by providing food, clothes and toiletry items.
Every year, our employees pack dozens of shoe boxes with items for children in impoverished countries. Since 1970, this organization has helped meet the needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease and famine.
Our donations help fund this youth crisis center that provides a safe space, tools and resources to launch 18-29-year-olds into successful adulthood.
This local food shelf's mission is to compassionately provide food and comprehensive support to our neighbors in need, creating a path toward self-sufficiency. Our employees not only donate food items, but also fresh produce grown in our company.
This organization provides school supplies to students and teachers in under-resourced communities. We annually host backpack building events with our employees, packing hundreds of backpacks full of school supplies and donating them to local elementary schools.
FMSC accepts donations to fund meal ingredients which are hand-packed by volunteers (like Smartpress employees). Meals are then donated to food partners around the world, where kids are fed and lives are saved.
We partner with a local school to provide work to people with disabilities. SAIL is a transitional work program that offers young people with special needs skill-building, career training and guidance.
We donate professional attire to this charity that provides clothing and skills development to empower women and help them achieve career advancement and economic stability.
Smartpress and our parent company, The Bernard Group, were named a Green Power Partner of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021. The Green Power Partnership (GPP) encourages organizations to use green power voluntarily to protect the health of the planet and those who live on it. As a Partner, we've met several GPP requirements - including using eligible green power as a percentage of our total annual electricity use. By partnering with the EPA, we are joining other organizations who are leading the way toward a more sustainable energy future.
Smartpress received 14001 environmental certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Ensuring our policies and procedures align with standards set internationally, this certification helps us increase productivity while minimizing our operations’ environmental impacts. It also provides the framework and guidance for us to consistently implement eco-friendly initiatives within our online printing services.
In 2022, Smartpress achieved “Platinum” status with EcoVadis, an independent Corporate Social Responsibility evaluation company. We've been "Gold" since 2019, but this new status means we're in the top 1% of all companies they evaluate in the printing services industry! EcoVadis helps us integrate CSR principles into our daily business initiatives so we can positively affect our communities and supply chain as an online printer.
As a signatory, we've aligned our operations and strategies with the UN's 10 Principles and Sustainable Development Goals on the environment, business ethics and labor and human rights.
We partner with CDP for our environmental reporting to promote transparency and accountability with our stakeholders.