Wide Format Imaging

Like any corporate strategy, sustainability will be successful in different ways for individual companies, which must balance eco-conscious programs with operations that ensure economic growth. To help you get started on your sustainability mission, SGIA interviewed member company Pictura Graphics about its initial efforts in a sustainable workflow.

With 55 employees, the Minneapolis, MN-based company provides large-format digital graphic solutions for events and exhibits, POP applications, retail and visual merchandising. The company — which uses printing processes that include digital photographic, UV flatbed, solvent, grand-format solvent, dye sublimation and grand-format dye sublimation—in the last year or so has established some sound sustainability practices that were largely driven by consumer demand, as Pictura Graphics President Paul Lilienthal reports.

Q: Are you seeing a push from your current customers to move down the sustainability pathway?

A: Some more than others, but the priorities of the graphic product end users are shifting rapidly toward sustainability. In just the past six months, we've experienced a significant increase in the amount of requests for "eco-friendly" graphic alternatives.

Q: Many say that sustainability is the flavor of the month. Do you believe sustainability is a "fad" or will it last?