Santa Ana, California Large energy users like FSSI are always looking for ways to operate more efficiently and to reduce the environmental impact of everyday business operations. In 2014, the company added and expanded sustainability practices that pushed energy savings and recycling to new highs and resource consumption to new lows.
“Our energy-efficient chilled-water cooling systems continue to be a source of significant energy savings, as are our latest light fixture replacements,” says Gene Archer, FSSI’s Technical Services and Facilities Manager. “But we’re also very excited about the savings made possible by another recently implemented efficiency measure called Stem.”
Stem is a compact energy management and storage appliance that attaches directly to FSSI’s main power panel, independent of the UPS (uninterruptible power supply) and diesel backup generator. State-of-the-art optimization software drives the system, which uses predictive analytics to monitor and regulate energy usage.
Energy savings come when the Stem appliance automatically reduces peak loads, by predicting usage patterns and deploying stored energy when certain consumption thresholds are met.
“Our electricity rate is based on the maximum energy peak usage at any time during the year,” Archer says. “So we have to continually measure our usage. For example, one fifteen-minute segment of high consumption could penalize us for the whole year. The Stem system helps reduce the peaks, which reduces our energy rate. We also put less demand on SCE, since they don’t need to plan capacity for higher peaks,” Archer adds.
FSSI founder, Jon Dietz, says the company’s willingness to regularly evaluate emerging technologies like Stem and others closely maps to FSSI’s enduring commitment to environmental sustainability. “We were among the first print-mail outsourcing companies to integrate environmental stewardship into regular business operations, and we’re pleased that investments in Stem, a new chiller, and other improvements are resulting in greater efficiency and savings.”
Forestry Stewardship Council ® (FSC®) Certification
Another of those investments in 2014 involved earning FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification. FSSI is one of only a few thousand U.S. businesses to receive the coveted designation, which now allows it to print client documents using FSC-certified paper stock. Certification required FSSI to change its paper handling processes, train personnel to follow FSC’s CoC requirements and prepare for the stringent annual compliance audits. Despite the added cost and operational changes, this certification fits our sustainability value, observes FSSI president, Jennifer P.W. Dietz.
“FSC certification is increasingly important to clients in several industry verticals,” Dietz notes. “And since we’re very much a client-focused, client-centric company, we committed to becoming FSC certified. Doing so demonstrates that we’re vested in our clients’ success. It also makes us an even stronger ally and resources for any organizations that is seeking environmentally responsible document production.”
Asset Recycling
Besides reliably managing energy use and paper stock, FSSI also recycles or responsibly disposes of waste byproducts generated from its document production and everyday business operations. These include: paper waste, wooden pallets, and old used electronics, such as batteries, monitors and other office equipment. “Asset recycling is an important facet of our corporate sustainability strategy,” Archer notes. “Every year, the program keeps tons of reusable waste out of the local landfills, and 2014 was no exception.”
Responsible Print Production
FSSI’s Canon’s Océ ColorStream® 3900 digital color printing system is a centerpiece of its sustainable print production environment. FSSI is the only document outsourcing company of its size to own the eco-friendly digital press.
The printer eliminates common concerns of offset printing by outputting to continuous-form white- paper rolls and using environmentally friendly inks. With digital inkjet printing, there are no negatives, plates, oil-based inks or harmful cleaning solvents, so the environmental impact of production is greatly reduced. Further, printing forms and data inline eliminates the waste of over-printing preprinted forms. FSSI also participates in Océ’s sustainability-oriented Eco Start program, which includes a commitment to replant trees harvested for paper production.
Sustainable FSSI Service Options
Offering a wide range of environmentally friendly service options rounds out FSSI’s diverse sustainability practices and gives clients other creative ways to responsibly produce their documents. These include:
- Electronic Statements — though research suggests that print and paper are a responsible and sustainable option, FSSI also offers high-quality paperless eStatements to companies who want them
- Recycled Stock and Envelopes — FSSI provides quotes for both recycled and regular stock and envelopes; recyclable window-film envelopes are also available.
- Quadplex Bill Format — printing two-up duplex reduces ink and paper usage and saves on postage (ideal for telecom or other bulky, multi-page statements).
- Highly Targeted Direct Mail — avoids the waste of sending printed pieces to uninterested parties.
- Document “Householding” — mailing to the same address to reduce envelope and postage costs.
- Address Cleansing — cuts paper waste by correcting addresses and separating undeliverable pieces from the mail stream.
- Selective Messaging and Inserts — provides direct target marketing to customers without additional paper/postage costs
- “Onsert” Printing — printing marketing messages onto customer documents reduces the need for preprinted inserts; this practice can be an economical complement to any marketing campaign.
- How about estatements?
FSSI Facilities Manager Gene Archer acknowledges that nurturing and growing a successful sustainability strategy requires an ongoing effort and that he and his team will strive to improve on FSSI’s record-setting achievements of 2014.
“There’s always more we can do,” says Archer. “We’ll remain focused on energy savings, material recycling and production process efficiency, but there are other exciting initiatives in the works, we expect to introduce in early 2015.”
For more information about FSSI’s sustainability and corporate responsibility practices, contact FSSI today at 714-436-3300. Or visit the company website.
About FSSI
FSSI is an employee owned, WBE-certified document outsourcing company that helps businesses maximize their impact and strategic value through highly customizable print-mail and digital communication solutions. Serving the financial, insurance, healthcare and other regulated industries, FSSI is well-versed in the security and data practices necessary to handle confidential customer information and remain compliant. Learn more about FSSI's capabilities by visiting fssi-ca.com. For business opportunities, please contact Executive Vice President of Business Development Dan Palmquist at 714.436.3300 or .