SGP Announces International Pilot Project to Expand Certification Program

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP), an authority in sustainable printing certifications, announces a pilot project to expand its certification program beyond the United States and Canada. SGP has been successfully holding all audits virtually for more than a year. Using this method, the organization can expand internationally, allowing printers and industry suppliers worldwide to achieve SGP certification. Through its cloud-based SGP Impact Tracker, information for a virtual audit is shared with SGP’s independent auditors.

“SGP certified facilities must renew their certification every two years,” says Wendy Nadan, SGP lead auditor. “From the initial certification planning meeting to the completion of document review, including photographic evidence, all can be accomplished virtually with the local sustainability team. Each facility can meet the expectations of the audit as if an SGP auditor were physically on-site.”

SGP certification is given to facilities meeting the standards of the criteria developed by SGP.

“We believe the flexibility of the virtual audit provides an opportunity for facilities worldwide to validate their sustainability programs through SGP,” says Marci Kinter, SGP co-founder and technical committee chair.

The SGP certification pilot program launches in October 2021 with the next revision of the SGP certification criteria, which is adopted after a public review process every five years. More program details, including the application for pilot testing, comes in August.