Beware of the cowboys out there   Print House Ltd
  Along with our Enviromark® NZ endorsement, Print House was awarded FSC Chain of Custody and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications in December last year.
This means that projects produced on certified stock at Print House can be endorsed with the relevant PEFC or FSC logo and supporting statement.
The purpose being to provide evidence that the purchased product is being sourced in a legal manner and with minimal negative social and/or environmental impact.
For some of our readers this information on its own probably does not mean a great deal and certainly for those who were unable to be present at one of our informative environmental impact seminars held both last year and this year, the concept of Chain of Custody certification may well be misunderstood.
In simple terms Chain of Custody certification refers to systems which track the origin of wood and wood products (in our case paper) right through all the processes from the forest to the end consumer.
The purpose of the tracking system is to establish that the wood is being sourced, in the case of FSC certified stock, from responsibly managed forests and, in the case of PEFC certified stock, from sustainably managed forests. (See www.fsc.org and www.pefc.org for more information.)
As a print designer, purchaser and/or consumer, you need to be aware that the recognised certifications carry very stringent guidelines which, if not followed accurately, render the certification null and void.
For example:
  • Only companies with Chain of Custody certification may apply the relevant PEFC or FSC logos to material or products.
  • Each certification logo has its own parameters and certification number which must be applied in accordance with the guidelines supplied to the certificate holder.
  • There are approximately a dozen printers in New Zealand with both the PEFC and FSC Chain of Custody certifications. Two of those are based in the Waikato - Print House being one of them.
  • During the course of 2009 we have come across numerous misused and copycat examples of logos and statements which, as is required of us, we have drawn to the attention of the governing organisation.
If you are genuinely concerned about the environment don't get mislead by the 'pretenders' out there.
If you choose a type of paper because you believe it is better for the environment check with your Print House account executive when placing your order whether the appropriate logo and statement can be applied to identify this fact. Remember, Print House makes no extra charge for this service.
The following are just some examples which are misleading or are signs of misrepresentation:
"Printed on environmentally friendly stock." X
"This is printed on recycled paper." X
"This paper is certified and from a sustainably managed forest." X
"This product is printed on FSC certified paper." X
"This product is printed on PEFC certified paper." X
If you want your printed product to highlight that it is sourced from an environmentally friendly source there will usually be a logo that can be used to represent that fact.
In essence, if there is no recognised logo, licence number or certification code alongside the statement about the paper... beware.
The following are examples of recognised on-product logo's and certifications.
Example logos
Did anyone ever become what they wanted by remaining as they were?