Paper standards align for Blue Star Group

The print giant can now offer PEFC-labelled products to customers on both sides of the Tasman, now that its NZ operations has achieved the environmental certification.

According to Group executive general manager marketing and product development, Jill Cowling, the accreditation was a natural step adding to the Group’s 2007 FSC certification.

“Environmental responsibility is ingrained in Blue Star on both sides of the Tasman, and our senior executives actively encouraged the adoption of PEFC certification among our paper suppliers. So it’s important for us to have taken that next step and be able to label our products with the certification.

“Many of our customers want to be able to demonstrate to the end user that the product they are buying is packaged in responsibly sourced material, and we can now provide that assurance,” she says.

The Group certification now covers the rest of the NZ print divisions including Format Print Wellington, McCollams Print Auckland, Nicholson Print Solutions Auckland, Printlink Wellington, and Spectrum Print Christchurch.

Blue Star’s Australian sheetfed and mailing divisions, and the cross-Tasman web press division, Webstar have all held PEFC/FSC status for years.

Warwick Hay, CEO of Webstar ANZ, says the five-month-old Auckland site complies with the certification and is just waiting for the audit. “By achieving both PEFC and FSC accreditation, we have signalled to our customers that we strive to buy and protect paper that is sourced from a sustainable forest environment,” he says.

He adds Auckland will soon follow the Masterton site in Enviro-Mark NZ Diamond accreditation, New Zealand’s highest forestry certification.