The topic of climate protection is high on the global agenda. The
climate summit to be held in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18, 2009
aims to secure a new global agreement on climate protection. This
new agreement is to be the successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which
expires in 2012. The University of Cambridge has released a
communiqué ahead of the summit, in which it calls on delegates
to agree and support concrete and globally binding measures aimed
at protecting the environment. The communiqué states that the
rise in global average temperature should be limited to a maximum
of two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. So far,
more than 900 companies have signed up to the initiative, which
calls on politicians to take urgent action.
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) is one of those
companies. "We want to show that Heidelberg is fully
supportive of the climate protection goals referred to in the
communiqué, such as energy efficiency and low-carbon products
and services. We will also back up this support with our own
measures," emphasizes Stephan Plenz, Member of the Management
Board responsible for Technology and Operations at Heidelberg.
Green print production helps to conserve resources and cut
costs
"From our point of view and due to the scarcity of
resources and rising energy prices, environmental protection is not
a passing trend but a development that we have been working on for
some time and that will grow in importance in the future,"
explains Stephan Plenz.
"Heidelberg is affected in three key areas: At our
sites, in the development and production of our products and first
and foremost in how we support our customers," adds Plenz. For
over ten years, Heidelberg has exercised a proactive approach to
environmental protection throughout its entire value-added chain
(e.g. EMAS / ISO 14001 since 1996). At the same time, Heidelberg is
also supporting its customers in all aspects of "Green
Printing" and is working intensively on the relevant
influencing factors. The company's aim is to reduce or even
completely eliminate resource consumption, emissions, and waste.
Intensive dialog with users, i.e. print shops, is an important part
of this strategy. Reducing paper waste is the best way to leverage
optimization and is at the heart of development and consulting.
During drupa 2008, Heidelberg launched the Heidelberg ECO
Printing Award in order to give the graphic arts industry a broad
platform for the topic of environment and printing. The Heidelberg
ECO Printing Award is presented every two years in two categories -
sustainable overall print shop concepts and specific stand-alone
solutions.
In order to encourage print shops with an active interest in
the environment to share know-how and to make ideas that have
already been implemented accessible to others, Heidelberg also
initiated an "Environmental Dialog" in spring of this
year. Furthermore, Heidelberg is also an official cooperation
partner for the CO2 calculator of the German Association of Print
and Media (bvdm).
Heidelberg recently published its latest sustainability
report, which includes successful customer case studies and tips
for a green print shop. The report demonstrates that environmental
protection is not irreconcilable with business success and can even
win new customers. It also lists the twelve steps to a "green
print shop".
The sustainability report and everything associated with the
subject of sustainability at Heidelberg can be found online at
www.heidelberg.com/eco.
Further information on the Copenhagen Communiqué:
www.copenhagencommunique.com
Figure: "The Copenhagen Communiqué" logo
Heidelberg is fully supportive of environmental protection
and is one of the companies that have signed the Copenhagen
Communiqué on Climate Change.
Figure: Anicolor
The Speedmaster SM 52 with Anicolor inking unit technology
helps to cut start-up waste by up to 90 percent and makeready times
by up to 40 percent. This helps to protect the environment as
several tons of paper can quickly be saved each year.
Figure: UD Print
Heidelberg is the first manufacturer worldwide to offer a
press that has been manufactured in a "climate neutral"
process. The Speedmaster XL 105, the first press to be issued with
a "CO2 neutral" certificate, went to Swiss print shop UD
Print AG.
For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Public Relations
Hilde Weisser
Phone: +49 (6221) 92 5066
Fax: +49 (6221) 92995066
E-mail:
Hilde.Weisser@heidelberg.com