Pathway to Sustainability is ‘Green’ at INX International

INX International Ink Co. has long championed ‘green’ issues with advanced sustainability practices.The company remains committed to formulating state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly products that deliver unsurpassed performance and quality.Taking this pledge to the next level, INX is introducing six key initiatives and making them mandatory goals as part of the company’s sustainability agenda.

The six key initiatives INX is implementing include: Energy and utility conservation; Waste reduction and landfill elimination; Water conservation; Product design for the environment; Materials sourcing and supply chain management; and Social responsibility.

“Long before ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’ became popular terms, we were putting those words into action,” said Rick Clendenning, INX International Ink. Co. president and CEO.“In fact, to us, green means more than low or no-VOC inks.It means additional initiatives and activities that also include important activities that reduce waste, recycle water, and conserve energy.”

With these initiatives, INX is reducing energy consumption by improving process energy efficiency.The plan calls for the reduction of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per unit of production, and cutting additional emissions through more efficient product transportation. The company has set a goal to eliminate all land-filling of manufacturing waste and will use more environmentally friendly, end-of-life cycle options such as energy recovery, where feasible.By reducing total fresh water consumption, INX is using the newest technology to maintain treated wastewater and monitor irrigation systems.

Many of these six company initiatives were instrumental in helping INX International’s Sacramento office earn Gold Certification status as a Sacramento Sustainable Business (SSB) in 2008.They were only the second area business at the time to achieve Gold Certification status, which is the highest level in the California SSB program.

INX is making these key initiatives a priority in 2009 based on philosophies dating back to 1973 when parent company Sakata INX established its first environmental department.With established Environment, Health, & Safety and GREEN teams at all of its plants, all of INX International’s main manufacturing facilities are certified to the ISO 9001 Standard.The Dunkirk, NY plant was the very first ink manufacturing plant to become ISO 14001 Compliance Certified.Recently, the Charlotte, NC facility now has become the second INX plant to earn ISO 14001 Certification.

These ISO certifications further demonstrates INX’ commitment to the environment as ISO 14001 is an Environmental Management System (EMS) that allows a company to identify the ways in which its activities, products and/or services impact the environment, and to plan and implement programs that allow the company to improve its environmental performance.ISO 14001 also requires verification of the company’s compliance with applicable local, state and federal regulatory requirements.

INX will continue to develop eco-friendly products across all product lines and will focus on selecting raw materials that offer bio- renewal content, such as linseed, soybean, and other vegetable oils.Environment friendly product solutions also include conventional offset and energy curable inks that qualify for the American Soy Seal with at least 20 percent and 7 percent soy oil, respectively; naturally green energy-curable UV inks that are formulated without VOC-producing solvents; flexographic inks that are waterbased and have low VOC and no HAPS or SARA 313-reportable materials; and low temp heatset inks that allow printers to reduce energy usage while enhancing environmental performance to their print customers, and ultimately to consumers.

INX International Ink Co. is renewing its corporate social responsibility policies and managing best business practices to be a socially responsible company and to produce an overall positive impact on the community.Visit www.inxinternational.com/greenscene for more information, or contact INX and request “The Art of Being Green” brochure.

“Our goal to becoming a greener company is strong while at the same time, we will continue to provide our customers with outstanding ink and technology that exceeds world-class printing standards,” Mr. Clendenning said.“INX is dedicated to our customers, environment and society.The investment of time and effort by our people is the key to making this program and these initiatives work.”