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Park Communications has outshone two shortlisted candidates to win the 'Green Business Award'.

The award is one of the trophies on offer at the Docklands Business Club and East London Chamber of Commerce Awards 2007 and recognises Park’s environmental efforts.

The London-based firm pipped AA Security and environmentally aware catering and events company Suzanne James to take the gong.

Park is among the top 200 UK print companies, 25% of which have achieved ISO 14001 accreditation, 5% have CarbonNeutral status and 14% have FSC accreditation. Park has all three.

The company recycles 96% of pre-press chemicals on site, uses only green energy, recycles all production waste, is in the process of a wholesale move to vegetable ink and will next introduce technologies to reduce isopropyl alcohol by half.

But Park chief executive Heath Mason told printweek.com that greening up is not just about ticking boxes.

“The most interesting aspect has been the cultural change among our staff – not only are they only now increasing their awareness of the issues, but they are also products of an industry that for the most part has cast a blind eye to the environmental effects of its activities,” he said.

“It has been good, therefore, to have successfully changed working practices – how we handle waste particularly, and manage FSC stock – and to have switched to different chemicals, both pre-press and press solutions, and inks.”

He added that greening up can become a complex equation in trying to balance that process with keeping prices stable.

“While doing our bit is very satisfying, the increase in operational costs is not. Many recycled papers are more expensive, and customers don’t want increased prices. Offsetting schemes cost extra.

“However, the reduction in waste and the reduction in spoilage go a very long way to offset these costs.”

However, the green message is something that customers want to be able to pass on to their own customer base, he added.

“While customers are not prepared, just yet, to pay a premium for working with a ‘green’ printer, they are increasingly attracted to us because of what we are. We have become advisers on print-related green initiatives, and customers use green imprints on their work, which reinforces their own message to their audiences.”