Welcome to the Printers' National Environmental Assistance Center!

PNEAC is your direct conduit to experts and reliable information on environmental issues related to the printing, publishing and packaging industry.

Here you will find information on:

• Compliance - National and State-specific
• Pollution Prevention Opportunities
• Training Resources - Print Processes, Videos, & Manuals
• Answers to Common Questions (Listservs & Archives) - PrinTech and PrintReg
• People and Programs (Contacts) - National and State-specific
• Initiatives - PrintSTEP, National Environmental Performance Track, Design for the Environment, Great Printers Project, P2PRINT, etc.
• Sustainability
• PIA Sustainability Resources
• P2Rx Lithographic Printing Topic Hub
• P2Rx Flexographic Printing Topic Hub
• "Responsible Paper Sourcing"
• "Environmental Paper Choices - Beyond FSC, SFI or PEFC"
• Energy Efficiency
• U.S. Department of Energy's Save Energy Now Program
• Compressed Air Efficiency

If you have additional questions or do not find what you are searching for, PNEAC's technical experts will be glad to assist you. Assistance is confidential and free of charge.

PNEAC News

EU Beefs up Electronic Waste Recycling
1.30.12
Source: The Guardian Environment Network, 1/24/12
Summary: The European Parliament has been criticised for waving through revised rules on the disposal of electronic equipment without including any provision to promote the reuse of old equipment. As a result of last week's vote, member states will have to increase their collection of e-waste beyond the current flat-rate target of 4kg per person per year, so that by 2016 they will instead have to collect 45 tonnes for every 100 tonnes of electronic goods put on sale three years previously. By 2019, this target will rise to a collection rate of 65 per cent of sales from three years previous, although countries have the alternative of collecting a comparable figure of 85 per cent of all e-waste generated. In a statement, the parliament said better processing of e-waste would not only reduce the amount of potentially toxic waste sent to landfill or illegally exported overseas, but lead to greater recovery of valuable raw materials. UK-based IT charity Computer Aid slammed the new rules as "extremely disappointing," after MEPs ignored calls for a separate target to encourage the re-use of old electronic equipment that could be refurbished. It said the decision not to include a target for reusing electronic goods ran counter to the EU's own waste hierarchy, which holds prevention of waste and reuse as its top priorities.

In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad
1.27.12
Source: The New York Times, 1/25/12
Summary: In the last decade, Apple has become one of the mightiest, richest and most successful companies in the world, in part by mastering global manufacturing. Apple and its high-technology peers -- as well as dozens of other American industries -- have achieved a pace of innovation nearly unmatched in modern history. However, the workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside those plants, worker advocates and documents published by companies themselves. Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious -- sometimes deadly -- safety problems.

How We Are Greenwashing The Cloud and What It Means for IT's Carbon Footprint
1.27.12
Source: Treehugger, 1/19/12
Summary: Treehugger reported Jaymi Heimbuch talked with CES Sumir Karayi about some of the misconceptions about the cloud, and what needs to happen for it to be truly a greener option for IT.

IL: Electronics Now Banned from State Landfills
1.27.12
Source: Chicago Talks, 1/25/12
Summary: This article discusses the IL e-waste law, particularly the landfill ban which went into effect this month. Illinois has the highest state residential electronics recycling goal in the US and the highest per pound fine for manufacturers who fail to comply with the law.

More Companies Say Sustainability Needed to be Competitive
1.26.12
Source: Environmental Leader, 1/26/12
Summary: Two-thirds of corporate leaders say management attention to and investment in sustainability rose from 2010 to 2011, according to a global study by MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group. In the third annual Sustainability & Innovation Global Executive Study, sponsored by SAP and Shell, two-thirds of companies also said sustainability is necessary for competitiveness, up from 55 percent a year before.

PNEAC News Archive

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