Vancouver, BC — Hemlock Printers, Western Canada’s premier commercial sheetfed printer, announced this week that it has achieved carbon neutral status. It is the first printing company in Canada to gain this distinction. In addition to carbon neutrality, Hemlock has recently won the prestigious Heidelberg Eco Printing Award 2008 for "Most Sustainable Printing Company" establishing itself as a global leader and innovator of environmentally progressive printing practices.

To achieve carbon neutrality, Hemlock worked closely with Offsetters, Canada’s first carbon offset provider, to assess their existing carbon footprint. The companies then jointly created greenhouse gas reduction strategies and sourced high quality offsets for greenhouse gas emissions that could not be reduced. Hemlock has set a target of 33 per cent reductions in absolute GHG emissions by the year 2020, meeting the target set by the BC Provincial Government.

"This is an accomplishment that everyone at Hemlock can take great pride in. Becoming the first carbon neutral printing company in Canada further solidifies our commitment to progressively promoting sustainable practices within our industry," said Dick Kouwenhoven, President and CEO of Hemlock.

Hemlock has further plans to assist its customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their individual print projects. The company will introduce this program in July 2009.

Further entrenching its sustainability leadership, Hemlock Printers also announced that it has won the Heidelberg Eco Printing Award 2008 for "Most Sustainable Printing Company." The award, the first environmental award in the world recognizing print leaders in the sheetfed offset sector, was presented to Dick Kouwenhoven at an international awards ceremony in Heidelberg, Germany, on March 20.

This new international environmental award is focused on the sustainable use of resources and energy, climate protection, and environmentally aware business practices. Winning companies and solutions set the standard for the entire industry and encourage others to adopt sustainable business practices and solutions. The independent judging panel for the Heidelberg Eco Printing Award is made up of global representatives from the print media industry, scientists from the IFEU (the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research), and members of environmental associations.
 
Dr. Jürgen Rautert, a member of the Heidelberg management board, expects this award to become an important international driver of environmental innovation in the industry, adding, "We are deeply impressed with Hemlock Printers Ltd. as a model for the entire industry, which gives impetus to other printers to initiate sustainable print production in their own business."

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