The print industry is full of environmental claims. Here's a comprehensive guide to every major certification — what each one means and how to verify it.
Environmental claims in the print industry range from genuinely meaningful to outright greenwashing. Here’s how to tell them apart.
FSC
Covers: The paper — from sustainably managed forests. Verify: Certificate number at info.fsc.org. Reliability: High — independently audited.
PEFC
Covers: Similar to FSC via national certification schemes. Verify: At pefc.org. Reliability: High.
ISO 14001
Covers: The supplier’s environmental management system. Verify: Through UKAS at ukas.com. Reliability: High for process — targets are self-set.
B Corp
Covers: The entire business — environmental, social, governance. Verify: At bcorporation.net. Reliability: Very high — the most rigorous overall business certification.
Claims to be most sceptical of
- “Eco-friendly printing” — means nothing without specification
- “Green printing” — ditto
- “Carbon neutral” — without naming the verification standard, unverifiable
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