Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) OKs Walch Education Books

Portland, ME, November 12, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) has given approval to Walch Education to print its books on SFI-certified paper.

“This is a huge step for us,” notes Chuck Thomas, Walch Education’s Vice President of Operations. “We received SFI certification earlier this year, ensuring that we could document the origins of a printed book. Now, we have SFI’s approval to use their certification on virtually all of the Walch Education books we print. The only exceptions are those few titles that use special stocks or bindings.”

With over 152 million acres (62 million hectares) certified across North America, the SFI sustainable forestry certification program promotes responsible environmental behavior and sound forest management. Chain-of-custody certification means a company has a tracking system in place that identifies the amount of certified, uncertified and recycled content in the forest products it buys, uses or sells.

“You’ll start to see the SFI logo and chain of custody language showing up on the copyright page of almost every new Walch Education book, and all of our existing titles as they are printed, beginning right now,” Thomas continues. “With every book we print on SFI-certified paper, we’re making a statement about our commitment to sustainable practices.”

The SFI chain of custody certification is the latest example of Walch Education’s efforts to minimize its environmental footprint. Other programs include:

Digital printing, which eliminates the wastewater by-products, volatile chemicals, and air pollutants associated with offset printing. Unlike offset printers, digital printers have no plates, film, oil, or waste sludge to recycle.
Recycling both paper and corrugated cardboard.
Capturing heat from printing machinery to heat the entire printing facility.
Deploying motion detectors to turn on lights only when necessary.
Purifying water used in printing operation humidification as drinking water in their break room, eliminating the need to purchase bottled drinking water.

About Walch Education (www.walch.com)
Addressing state and national standards, Walch Education programs support the diversity and challenges of contemporary classrooms. Walch Education's accessible and affordable products are used by progressive districts and teachers across the United States. Walch Education has partnered with 12 of the 100 largest districts throughout the country to deliver targeted materials and programs.

###