INTRODUCING OUR "MANOR EARTH" PLEDGE

As part of our wider Corporate Social Responsibility policy, Manor Creative has taken an accountable perspective. We are adopting phased implementation of BS 8555 as our Environmental Management System (EMS), and through this we are continuously assessing and managing activities that contribute to climate change, as well as adopting new processes and working methods to improve our environmental performance.

Our objective is to minimise the impact of our business on the environment. It will see us working with our customers and suppliers to combat climate change, by reducing waste, conserving natural resources, trading ethically and developing a sustainable business.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY INKS

All our inks are vegetable based as standard (made from vegetable oils such as corn, walnut, coconut, linseed, canola and soya). These inks use a renewable resource, help conserve finite petroleum supplies, and do not compromise the quality of your work. They have minimal solvent content, reducing VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions from >30% to as low as 2%. Additionally, soya and vegetable based inks benefit the environment via their ease of removal from wastepaper during de-inking for recycling.

PROCESS-LESS PLATE SYSTEM

From January 2008 we shall be using Fuji PRO-T processless plates, allowing us to reduce our energy and water consumption and minimise chemistry usage and disposal.

  

 

WATER CONSERVATION

Being located in the South East of England we have a special interest in water conservation. Water metering allows us to monitor consumption and introduce savings, we are looking to implement a recycled system for general use.

 

MANAGED FORESTS

Paper used by Manor Creative comes from managed forests where the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or similar body audits the woodland. This means the forest has been managed in an environmentally appropriate, economically viable and socially beneficial manner. We can also offer recycled paper options to customers.

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Manor Creative is proud to be a founding May Day company, and proud of the progress we have already made in tackling climate change and our work towards a low carbon economy.

We would welcome the opportunity to show you how our printing services could help you. For further information on how Manor Creative's "Manor Earth" pledge can benefit your business, please contact Helen Allchorn on 01323 514427 (hallchorn@manorcreative.com).

Based upon the principle of sustainable business, the core values of "Manor Earth" can be summarised by the following 10 environmental action points:

1) To reduce waste from the printing process - through the application of good working practice and appropriate use of technology

As a result, the environment benefits from less waste, and improved efficiency gives you better pricing from Manor Creative.

2) To encourage the reduction of waste and recycling of all products generated by our production and administration processes

We have points in all our offices for paper waste, while off cuts from production and cardboard waste are stored and collected for recycling. Plastic and metal containers, including vending cups, are also collected for re-use and recycling.

3) To reduce or eliminate the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other harmful agents from the printing process

All our inks are vegetable oil based and have minimal solvent content. From 2008 we will have installed Fuji Pro-T process-less plates, further reducing our emissions.

4) To reduce our energy consumption - through the adoption of appropriate working practices and technologies

We are committed to investing in energy reduction methods; and work with specialist energy consultants (such as the Carbon Trust) to reduce and develop appropriate courses of action for our business.

5) To be Carbon Neutral. Manor Creative have achieved Carbon Neutal statusy by offsetting the residual CO2 we generate as a business

Manor Creative have partnered with Carbon Clear to measure our Carbon Footprint, minimise our carbon emissions through energy saving practices and to offset the unavoidable residue.

We invest in projects that improve living standards in developing countries, while providing global climate benefits. As part of our overall strategy to reduce and use energy more efficiently, we use offsetting as a way to compensate for the everyday emissions still produced.

Offsetting works by investing in emission reduction or energy efficient projects that result in lowering global CO2 levels. The CO2 that has been prevented or removed by these projects balances the carbon dioxide that our business activities generate. As greenhouse gases have a long life-span and tend to mix evenly in the atmosphere it doesn't matter where gases are emitted in the world: the effect on climate change is the same.

6) Cutting Carbon in the supply chain - we offset the inevitable CO2 emissions generated by the despatch and delivery of goods

As an integral part of our policy to be Carbon Neutral we have developed a method of banding that allows us to calculate the CO2 generated by delivering goods to our clients anywhere in the UK. In addition, the majority of our despatches are made using national carriers, therefore maximising efficiencies in logistics.

As a result of our actions, you can be safe in the knowledge we are taking positive steps to make your goods as environmentally friendly as possible - from production to your doorstep.

7) To provide accountability for paper supplies - by using FSC & PEFC approved stocks

By sourcing products that are accredited to sustainable plantation schemes (such as FSC and PEFC) we are ensuring our paper supplies are from well-managed forests. In addition to this we are committed to implementing a Chain of Custody programme to provide official certification for goods produced by Manor Creative.

8) To source paper that is both recycled and chlorine free

As part of our Chain of Custody process we can advise on the properties of any paper. For example we can source and supply 100% PCW (post consumer waste) paper - think recycle bins, or regular recycled paper (which uses mill waste).

Our paper is identified as either PCF (Process Chlorine Free) recycled paper, TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) which uses pulp from virgin wood or ECF (Elemental Chlorine Free).

Process Chlorine Free (PCF) is manufactured without adding chlorine or chlorine derivatives. PCF is used on post consumer recycled paper, so if chlorine was used in the manufacture of the original product, it's still in the finished paper to a certain extent.

Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) means there is no chlorine or chlorine derivatives used to make the paper, which means the paper must come from virgin fibre, including alternatives from sources other than trees.

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) means instead of chlorine gas, chlorine derivatives are used, which is a process that is used in both virgin and recycled paper products.

The treated wastewater, from well-managed pulp and paper mills using ECF bleaching, is virtually free of dioxin and persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic substances.

The remaining chlorine-containing organic substances (resulting from ECF bleaching) are similar to substances found in nature, degrade naturally and do not persist in the environment. Research shows they present a negligible environmental risk to aquatic ecosystems.

9) To take positive ecological action within the UK - and plant a tree in the Manor Earth Grove for clients who place print with us

For every £10,000 worth of print you place with us, we will plant a tree in the Manor Earth Grove in Scotland. This grove forms part of the charity Trees for Life's work to restore the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands of Scotland.

Our tree planting is a further contribution towards addressing the issue of global warming, and is a positive ecological action in the UK to assist in the natural regeneration of this forest, which once covered over 1.5 million hectares of land with majestic Scots pines, interspersed with birch, rowan, juniper and aspen trees.

The long term goal of Trees for Life is to restore this forest to an area of 600 square miles in the north-central Highlands, as well as advocating the reintroduction of the missing species of wildlife, such as the beaver, wild boar, brown bear, moose, lynx and wolf which formerly lived in the forest.

You can visit our Grove online at: http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/groves/manor_creative.html

10) To continually monitor and adapt our initiatives in line with ethically and environmentally sound projects

At Manor Creative we fully embrace the issues regarding Corporate Social Responsibility and the environment and this is now a firmly established priority within our business culture.

We are constantly reviewing processes and techniques to make sure we are up to date with the latest in environmentally-friendly production methods.