Helen McClay, business development director for GPS, told PrintWeek that the company’s first job using FSC paper would be the new programme for the Grand Opera House in Belfast.

"Their programme has a green theme, so they thought it tied in quite nicely," McClay said.

She added that GPS, which employs around 45 staff, achieved ISO 14001 certification in 2001 and was certified carbon neutral in 2006.

The printer is thought to be the first company north or south of the border to hold both carbon neutral and FSC certification.

McClay said the company started its environmental journey before it became fashionable, but it was now firmly on customers’ radars.

"We have definitely won new business off the back of our environmental credentials, but we’ve also been educating customers about it," McClay said.

"When we went carbon neutral, we didn’t think it would generate that much business, as it was still fairly new. But, at the same time, it blew up in the press and people were suddenly asking about it and FSC."

The printer uses a Komori 10-colour perfector and a Komori B1 five-colour press and prints mainly magazines, prospectuses, brochures and leaflets.

McClay said the presses were all alcohol free and the company used vegetable inks, biodegradable lamination and offered recycled paper, as well as FSC/PEFC-certified material.

She added that many of the measures taken to limit the company’s environmental impact also made good business sense, such as reducing waste and energy consumption.

The next step for the company is to improve its premises, including changing the lighting to reduce energy consumption.

McClay said it was prohibitively expensive for the printer to generate renewable energy for itself, but said the it would buy green energy if it ever became available in Northern Ireland.