Serious about Sustainability

As part of the Benefitz sustainability drive, the company achieved both FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certifications during 2009. These essentially relate to our policy of using paper manufactured based around the sustainable management of the world’s forests. This certification is controlled by an independent third party, who verify on an ongoing basis that Benefitz is maintaining the FSC and PEFC standards. The following is some information about these two certifications…

The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1999 which promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. The PEFC provides an assurance mechanism to purchasers of wood and paper products that they are promoting the sustainable management of forests. PEFC has in its membership 35 independent national forest certification systems of which 25 to date have been through a rigorous assessment process. These 25 systems account for more than 200 million hectares of certified forests producing millions of tonnes of certified timber to the market place, making PEFC the world’s largest certification system.

FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation established (in 1993) to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. It is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives of the last decade to promote responsible forest management worldwide. FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognised standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry. The FSC label provides a credible link between responsible production and consumption of forest products, enabling consumers and businesses to make purchasing decisions that benefit people and the environment as well as providing ongoing business value. FSC is nationally represented in more than 50 countries around the world.

Visit: www.pefc.org or www.fsc.org

Sustainability and the Environment

Choosing 9LIVES PAPER to help protect our natural environment.

Benefitz is one of the largest users of 9lives paper. This range of coated (gloss or satin matt) and uncoated papers is one of the most sustainable in the market. It is up to 55% recycled fibre (30% pre consumer 25% post consumer), includes 45% FSC certified virgin pulp and is Process Chlorine Free (PCF). It is supplied to Benefitz via Spicers Paper through an ISO 14001 accredited supplier.

“We made a decision a couple of years ago to concentrate our efforts on sustainable papers and 9Lives really foots the bill for our every day use,” explains Benefitz Managing Director Aidan Bennett. “We use it and recommend it in a big way for projects in both our digital and volume offset printing departments. It is used as our standard paper range.”

9Lives gloss or satin matt art paper is available in the following weights 115gsm, 130gsm, 150gsm, 170gsm, 200gsm, 250gsm, 300gsm, 350gsm, 400gsm. 9Lives uncoated is available as 80gsm, 90gsm, 120gsm, 280gsm.

Qualities of 9Lives include: Bright white shade - excellent ink to paper contrast; Smooth glossy surface - superb reproduction; Good bulk and opacity; Comprehensive range of popular sizes; Sustainable 55% recycled product with excellent environmental attributes; Competitively priced alternative to totally virgin grades.

The added bonus for those who are environmentally conscious is that every purchase you make of 9lives from Benefitz is recorded and for every tonne of paper sold, Spicers Paper donates $20 to WWF-New Zealand projects that help protect our unique environment. You can keep an eye on the tree to watch its growth.

Visit: www.9livesfund.org.nz 

Proud of our track record.

It’s a bit of a buzz-word across all industry sectors and it is one that we take very seriously at Benefitz. For most, sustainability probably means looking after the environment. Being green. While this is very important as the world grapples with climate change issues, sustainability goes much further. It is about ensuring that as a business we are having a positive affect on the wider community and environment that we operate in. We have been doing this for many many years, with the emphasis we place on business integrity, developing our people, supporting, sponsoring and being active in our community, while not losing sight of the need to care for the environment. We are proud of our sustainability record and you can see that we are working hard on enhancing it.

Recent times have been challenging for most from an economic perspective. The business world has never seen so much change in such a short time. It has been volatile. At Benefitz we’ve continued to grow. In these adverse times our ‘OneStop’ offering has proven to be popular and our business has continued to prosper. The formula is obviously a good one. We thank our fantastic 65-strong team at Benefitz and all of our valued customers for their continued support. The fact that a great number of these customers have been with us for many years, some for the entire 21 plus years, is a great thrill.

Over the past few months we have worked on some very interesting and varied projects. From the production and printing of magazines right through to the printing and installation of big images. We have highlighted many of these throughout our website and in our news site. We trust you will enjoy the read.