The certification was awarded to the Bury, Lancashire-based company as part of a multi-site accreditation for parent business, the De Vroede Group.

Tower Supplies' managing director Suzanne Mitchelson said: "Environmental certification is an important part of our strategy and our positioning in the marketplace.

"The De Vroede Group considers itself to be environmental pioneers within the European envelope industry, and the environmental initiatives at our head office in Antwerp ensure that we stand apart from our competitors."

Tower Supplies' next priority will be the ISO 14001 standard, which it hopes to achieve in early 2009.

It also plans to construct a new site in 2009, and will adopt the same environmental stance as its parent company.

Both Tower Supplies and De Vroede use only soy-based hybrid inks which are solvent free and less harmful to the environment.

De Vroede also powers its factory by solar energy and the entire roof surface of the factory in Antwerp is covered with solar panels. Any excess energy produced is sold back to the National Grid in Belgium.

Water is also pumped up from the ground beneath the factory, and hot water is used to heat the head office in winter and provide energy to cool the buildings in summer.

Mitchelson said: "Our customers are increasingly starting to seek these accreditations themselves, and are taking a very active interest in the way that we run our business from an environmental point of view. 

"It is no longer just the large blue chip organisations that demand an environmental approach to business."

Tower Supplies was acquired by the Belgium-based De Vroede Group last year.