Spotlight on....ProDPI

GP: How green is your business - what green business practices do you embrace?

PD: In addition to our green products, as a company we recycle paper and corrugated cardboard. We also process our used chemistry to remove all silver from the chemistry so that it is safe to be put down the drain. Another practice that we have recently implemented is an order combination process within our facility. We have written software that checks to see if our customers have an additional order in the lab, and if they do, we hold that order to be combined with the subsequent order. In this way, we are able to reduce the space that is used on trucks/airplanes to ship the package as well as to reduce the amount of cardboard that is used in packaging. We, of course, make sure not to ever delay a shipment knowing that our customers are always wanting their products to deliver to their clients as soon as possible.

GP: How green are your products - what green products/components do you offer?

PD: We have quite a few green products or components of our products. The first product that we brought to market was our green line of press papers. We have 4 paper types that are 30% recycled and made using wind powered energy. These are alternatives to our enhanced stipple, linen, felt (a water color paper) and smooth matte. We also have a 100% recycled paper, 100% wind-power generated paper called eco-smooth matte. This is an amazing paper because it is also a 130lb paper- really thick!!

Another green product that we offer is our fabric choices for our book line. When selecting fabrics for our book line, we have stuck with silk, cotton and linens to remain eco friendly. We also finally was able to add a line of vegan leathers that actually have the look and feel of real leather without any animal products! We also have our fusion covers, which are an alternative to the photo wrap covers, made from 100% recycled paper joined with a fabric spine.

For photographic prints, we also have two different options that are eco friendly- our canvas and our bamboo mounts. Using the latest in eco printing technology we print on 400GSM white poly-cotton canvas.  This canvas is optical brightener additive-free and fluorescent whitening agent-free.   The manufacturer of this material is also proud to help to rebuild forests by planting a tree for every roll of material that ProDPI uses.  They do this by partnering with American Forests, you can read more about this great organization here. Our bamboo mounts are ¾” thick carbonized vertical grain bamboo mounts very similar to standouts.

Another product that we are proud to offer is our green executive packaging. This service is the same as our original Executive Packaging only with a twist of green! Packaging includes a 100% recycled kraft box, 70% recycled cream-colored tissue paper, and an earth-friendly cotton ribbon. Available for all photo print sizes up to 11×14, press-printed books, and most press orders.

GP: Why did you choose to offer green products and implement green business practices?

PD: Simply put, we chose to offer green products because we believe that all businesses should! In the photographic industry there is no way to get around selling prints so we have decided to, whenever possible, offer a green alternative to other products on the market. As owners, Jeff and I believe that we have the ability to make a difference, even if it is small, for our environment and if everyone chooses to do the same, all of our small efforts will make a big difference. And as parents, we owe it to our son to do whatever we can to leave this earth in better shape then when we got here!

GP: How has offering green products and implementing green business practices affected your company?

PD: We have by and large had an amazing response from photographers in regards to our green products. One thing that we have strived to do when selecting our green products is to choose eco-friendly products that are just as good as our competitors non-green options. In this way, photographers are not being asked to sacrifice quality to remain true to their own ideals. Another thing that has been widely accepted by photographers is that our eco-friendly products are not more expensive than their non-eco friendly alternatives.

GP: What are your hopes for a greener photographic industry?

PD: Our hope for the industry is that more companies begin to offer green products. We would hope that having green options for photographers would become the standard rather than the exception so that the photography industry is able to maintain a positive, eco-friendly view by the general public.

GP: What is your favorite eco website or eco-product that we may not have heard of?

PD: One of our favorite green companies is http://www.btcelements.com/ A eco-friendly clothing company founded by one of Jeff’s friends from high school. Very cute clothing that you can feel good about wearing!

GP: Thanks so much to ProDPI for taking the time to answer our questions!

Special Offer: 25% off canvas or bamboo mounts expires September 30, 2011, not to be combined with any other offer.

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