Greening our Company

Since 1990 when we built our reduced-energy use building, Image 4 has a tradition of environmental awareness originating from the personal values of our staff and leadership. Over the years we, as individuals and as a company, have taken specific decisions to reduce our footprint on the environment.

Download our CSR statements and program information here.

In 2002 these decisions took form as a company wide plan structured around reducing operating costs by eliminating excess product and energy use, and reducing inefficiency and the waste accompanying it.

Environmental awareness became a leg in our move to LEAN manufacturing. Certain specific outcomes are listed below, including acceptance by Co-op America as a green-certified business.

The easy-to-accomplish work has been done: reuse and recycling of packing materials and papers, reducing incoming product packaging, upgrading to EnergyStar computers, employing recycled office supplies, adding timers, upgrading lighting, replacing our cooling plant with a high-efficiency system. We are now working on the more difficult reductions in energy and waste, including relocating to a building supporting LEED SILVER standard.

Perhaps our most important program is to train a number of our staff as LEED accredited professionals. Gaining this knowledge and accreditation will enhance our understanding of best practices and next steps, as well as contributing to our clients' green-based projects.

Greening our Graphic and Display Products

As we gained understanding around "greening" our supply chain and processes, one of our clients challenged us to create environmentally reduced-load graphics products. These were to be alternatives to the petroleum-based materials that most graphics and display fabricators use nearly exclusively today.

Our team took on this challenge with varying levels of successful outcomes, and we are committed to long-term product development along this line. Our company-wide R&D program has allowed us to offer reduced-load graphics products for 25% of our line, and allows us to design-specify 35% of our displays and signage employing "green" products. This percentage will increase as we prove products and as our clients accept the alternatives.

Please see our portfolio section for project sheets detailing the use of these materials:

Graphics Products

Client design and demand requirements always shape our final product decisions, as we never want a product to fail in the field. We encourage our clients to work with us to learn how we can substitute low-load alternatives for your project.

Available on our Epson 9600 printer for indoor use only, we offer graphic image printing to Mohawk Brite-White 80% Post-Consumer-Waste 80# recycled paper.

Available on our Mutoh dye-sublimation fabric line, we offer graphic banner printing to 100%, 80% and 50% post-consumer-waste recycled fabric in 2 materials.

Available on our Arizona GT250 direct-to-substrate printer, we offer graphic image and signage image printing to:

• Monadnock 80% Post-Consumer-Waste 80# recycled paper
• Mohawk 40 & 80-pt recycled content cardstock
• 50% post-industrial-waste polystyrene to .040
• 22% post-industrial-waste sheet acrylic
• 100% post-industrial-waste Kydex sheet PVC

Available on our Roland Grand-format and Large-format roll printers, we offer graphic imaging to: 100% post-industrial-waste polypropylene banner material

All these are produced with non-VOC ink sets which allow the materials to be used in hospital environments and institutional signage without risk of environmental outgassing. Our contract wallcovering is certified for use in health-service environments.

Display and Signage Products Safety and client design requirements always shape final product decisions, but we encourage our clients to work with us to learn about alternatives to petroleum-based products - vinyl and polystyrene.

In our custom-fabricating shop, we employ MDF 100% reclaimed wood waste board, 95% post-industrial-waste recycled copper, Formica recycled HPL, veneers in Bamboo (a rapid-growth grass), Plyboo, FSC-certified Yellow Pine, FSC-certified Maple, LED light arrays, FOSS Eco-spun 100% recycled contract fabric.

Adhesives, paints and finishes are selected for their non-VOC properties.

In our Classic Exhibits line, the Intro and Visions products are fabricated using recyclable aluminum, recycled contract fabric and tension fabric, and recycled cardboard honeycomb core material. For more information see www.classicexhibits.com.

In our Orbus product line, all display fabrics are FOSS Eco-Spun 100% recycled-content fabric. For more information, see www.fossmfg.com.

Our LITE product uses extremely light-weight, load-bearing expanded foam display panels. Through light weight and modular design, we dramatically reduce carbon footprint from freight weight and volume. This product also embodies the best of the "Re-Use" leg by permitting inexpensive hardware and graphic re-configuration. When our clients choose to upgrade, LITE can be recycled easily, or better yet, reconfigured, refurbished and re-sold to another user. For more information, see http://image4.com/displays.

Many of our display and sign products now use LED lighting, eliminating the PCB's in ballasts and the mercury in fluorescent lamps, as well as reducing electricity use and lamp changes.

Greening our Clients

Some of our display and graphics products are being substituted on a 100% replacement basis for formerly heavy-load products. This combined with our low-load packaging is helping to green our clients.

As project opportunities arise, our account managers and project managers engage our clients around the opportunities to deploy reduced-load graphic and display options. We find that about 25% of clients make the price and useability adjustments that allows us to execute a green program.

Our most dramatic achievement is with our client Pizza Fusion. Through deep interaction with the management team at this rapidly growing franchise, Image 4 has designed and constructed a green brand environment and graphics package that has allowed Pizza Fusion to earn the prestigious LEED-GOLD standard for their franchise restaurants.

Recently, Pizza Fusion has been recognized as among the top ten greenest franchises in America. Image 4 and the management staff at Pizza Fusion continue in a long-term mission to green this great company.