Sustainability at Precision Group
Sustainability at Precision Group
Precision Group is the only Level 3 Sustainable Green Printer in Victoria and one of a handful nationally. And we are ISO 14001 certified too.
Our greenhouse gas emissions are measured annually by an independent carbon accounting partner and reported to the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. Our renewable electricity, our waste diversion, our materials sourcing, and our supply chain practices are independently audited.
This page sets out what that actually means, the numbers behind it, and what it gives you when you partner with us.
Our certifications
Sustainability at Precision Group is structural. It sits inside externally audited management systems with annual review cycles. Every claim on this page is backed by a credential a third party has assessed and signed off on.
Sustainable Green Print
Level 3 (Visual Media Association)
The most rigorous environmental accreditation available to commercial printers in Australia. The SGP+S framework assesses performance across six domains — Environmental Management System, Chemical and Hazardous Materials, Energy and Climate Change, Water Management, Waste Management, and Supply Chain. At Level 3, a printer must demonstrate continuous improvement across all six, not just compliance. We are the only Level 3-certified printer in Victoria and one of a handful in Australia.
Carbon measurement
with NetNada
Our greenhouse gas emissions are measured and reported annually by NetNada, a specialist carbon accounting platform, in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. The inventory covers Scope 1, Scope 2 (both location-based and market-based) and the relevant Scope 3 categories across our entire operation and is subject to third-party limited assurance.
ISO 14001:2015
Environmental Management System
Independently certified by INTERTEK SAI Global and verified annually with initial certification dating back to 23 March 2010. The scope covers data analysis and management, offset and digital printing, finishing and bindery, direct mail, fundraising consultancy, forms scanning, IT systems integration, 3PL services and customer order fulfilment. The framework requires documented environmental objectives, performance monitoring, and continual improvement.
Complementary credentials
ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety), ISO 27001 (Information Security) and PCI DSS compliance. The same audit discipline that governs our environmental performance also governs our quality, safety and data handling — which matters when sustainability sits alongside obligations on quality and data privacy in your supply-chain assessments.
How we reduce impact in the production environment
Energy:
Our Somerton manufacturing facility consumed 449,723 kWh of electricity in FY25. A 200 kW rooftop solar PV system with two 100 kW inverters supplies a portion of that load on-site.
The residual draw is met through procurement of carbon-neutral electricity. The combined effect: location-based Scope 2 emissions of 346.29 tCO₂-e translate to a market-based figure of just 37.21 tCO₂-e.
Waste:
Across our Somerton operation production waste, packaging, general office and facility waste 92% is diverted from landfill through recycling, reuse and composting streams. Only 8% reaches landfill, and that’s largely residual contaminated material that cannot be economically separated. This figure is tracked under our ISO 14001 system and verified as part of our Level 3 SGP+S assessment.
Specifically:
- 100% of printing plates, pallets and skids are recycled or re-used.
- All clean paper waste is baled and collected by a paper recycling contractor.
- Manufacturing chemical waste is fully recycled to EPA licence standards.
- E-waste is 100% recycled.
- Cardboard cartons arriving with paper deliveries are reused for outbound packing where condition permits; damaged cartons are baled and recycled.
- Stretch film and pallet wrap are collected separately and directed to plastic film recycling — not general waste.
Materials:
Most printers can offer a recycled paper “if you want it.” Our approach is the other way around — sustainable stock is the default and we recommend alternatives only when specification or availability requires it.
| Priority | Material | What this means |
| First choice | PEFC-certified or equivalent | Where FSC stock is unavailable in the required weight or finish, we source from PEFC or equivalent third-party certified stock. |
| Second choice | FSC-certified stock | Forest Stewardship Council certification confirms responsibly managed forests with full chain of custody from source to printer. |
| Where specified | PEFC-certified or Recycled-content stock | From partial to 100% post-consumer recycled content, with full specification sheets available — fibre origin, manufacturing location, certifications. |
Packaging:
Finished work is packaged to protect it in transit while minimising packaging waste. Cartons are right-sized to the job to reduce void fill. Paper-based void fill and interleaving is used in preference to polystyrene or bubble wrap. Stretch film is used only where palletisation requires it and is collected for recycling.
Where Council, charity and corporate clients need bulk return of clean cardboard or surplus stock for recycling at our facility, we can accommodate that. We’ve also developed proprietary PEFC-certified satchels and wallets manufactured at Somerton, which can be personalised through our four-colour inkjet technology — a sustainable alternative for branded mailing items.
Who this matters to
For your procurement and finance teams,
our credentials answer the increasingly common tender requirement to demonstrate that your print and mail supply chain meets minimum environmental standards. An SGP+S Level 3 + ISO 14001 supplier with measured GHG inventory satisfies that requirement in full.
For your brand, marketing and communications teams,
our certifications give you something you can include in your own sustainability reporting without footnote: FSC-sourced substrates, ISO-verified environmental management, third-party-audited waste diversion, and the option of independently certified carbon-neutral production.
For your ESG and sustainability leads,
the GHG inventory we produce annually is structured to align with the disclosure expectations under TCFD, ASRS S2 and similar frameworks. Our supplier-level emissions data can be incorporated into your own Scope 3 reporting.
And for everyone:
sustainable printing with Precision Group is not a premium product. FSC-certified substrates carry a modest premium over uncertified equivalents, but our production processes are not priced differently because of the environmental framework. You are not paying a green tax. You are choosing a supply chain that can be justified.
Where sustainability shows up across our services
Our environmental credentials apply across every service Precision Group offers:
Mail & Fulfilment
Packaging & Labels
Promotional Merchandise
3PL & Fulfilment
Print on Demand and Variable Data Printing
Offset Printing
A note from our owners
Precision Group is privately owned. The standards we operate to are set by Group CEO Cory Hall, co-founder Ralph Russell, and owner Jess Hall every day, since 2008.
The investment in Level 3 SGP+S, ISO 14001, on-site solar, NetNada-measured emissions and the operational discipline that 92% landfill diversion requires is not a response to current ESG fashion. It is a deliberate, long-term decision about how this family-owned business is run. The same people set the standard and live by it.
That ownership-level commitment is, in the end, what distinguishes a printer whose claims rely on the reader giving them the benefit of the doubt and one whose environmental practice can be independently verified.
Want to know how our sustainability credentials support your ESG reporting, your tender requirements, or your brand’s carbon commitments?
To discuss the right process for your next job, contact our team at info@thepg.com.au
We are Victoria’s only Level 3 Sustainable Green Printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Level 3 Sustainable Green Printer?
Sustainable Green Print (SGP) is the environmental certification programme run by the Visual Media Association, built on the ISO 14001 framework. It assesses printers across six areas: environmental management, chemical and hazardous materials, energy and climate change, water management, waste management, and supply chain. Level 3 is the highest tier and requires a printer to demonstrate continuous improvement across all six areas, not just baseline compliance. Precision Group is the only Level 3-certified printer in Victoria.
Does Precision Group have ISO 14001 certification?
Yes. Precision Group has been certified to ISO 14001 — the international standard for environmental management systems — continuously since 2010. Our current certification is held through INTERTEK SAI Global and is independently audited. The certification covers our full range of services, including printing, finishing, direct mail, fulfilment, data services and 3PL logistics.
Does Precision Group measure its carbon footprint?
Yes. Our greenhouse gas emissions are measured and reported annually by NetNada, a specialist carbon accounting platform, in accordance with the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard. The measurement covers Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (purchased electricity, reported both location-based and market-based) and the relevant Scope 3 value-chain categories. In FY25 our total measured emissions were 2,827.59 tCO₂-e, a 22.85% reduction on the previous year.
Can Precision Group provide carbon-neutral printing?
Yes. Because our emissions are measured at the operational level, we can calculate the carbon footprint of individual print and mail jobs and offset the residual emissions through verified carbon credits — making a specific campaign carbon-neutral, with documentation that withstands ESG and procurement scrutiny. This is particularly useful for organisations with public sustainability commitments that want a verifiable claim for their own reporting or supporter communications.
How does Precision Group power its operations?
Our Somerton facility runs a 200 kW rooftop solar PV system that supplies a portion of our electricity on-site, with the remaining load met through carbon-neutral electricity procurement. In FY25 this brought our market-based Scope 2 emissions down to 37.21 tCO₂-e — an 89.47% reduction on the previous year.
What paper does Precision Group use?
FSC-certified stock is our default first choice. Where a specific weight or finish isn’t available FSC-certified, we source PEFC or equivalent third-party certified stock. We offer recycled-content stock — from partial to 100% post-consumer recycled — where a client specifies it, with full specification sheets available.
How much of Precision Group's waste is recycled?
92% of waste across our Somerton operation is diverted from landfill through recycling, reuse and composting — covering production waste, packaging and facility waste. This figure is tracked under our ISO 14001 system and verified through our Level 3 SGP audit. All printing plates, pallets and skids are recycled or reused, all clean paper waste is baled and collected for recycling, and e-waste and manufacturing chemical waste are fully recycled to EPA standards.
Does Precision Group offer sustainable packaging and mailing?
Yes. We right-size cartons to reduce void fill, use paper-based void fill in preference to polystyrene, and collect stretch film separately for recycling. We’ve also developed PEFC-certified satchels and wallets manufactured at our Somerton site, and we offer a four-colour paper wrap as a recyclable alternative to traditional polywrap for mailing.
Can Precision Group meet sustainability requirements in council and government tenders?
Yes. We right-size cartons to reduce void fill, use paper-based void fill in preference to polystyrene, and collect stretch film separately for recycling. We’ve also developed PEFC-certified satchels and wallets manufactured at our Somerton site, and we offer a four-colour paper wrap as a recyclable alternative to traditional polywrap for mailing.
Can Precision Group's emissions data support our own ESG reporting?
Yes. Our annual GHG inventory is structured to align with the disclosure expectations under frameworks such as TCFD and ASRS S2, and our supplier-level emissions data can be incorporated into your own Scope 3 reporting. If your organisation reports against a sustainability framework, talk to us about what we can provide.
Is sustainable printing more expensive?
FSC-certified stock typically carries a modest premium over uncertified equivalents. Usually a few percent, built into the supply chain rather than added by us. Our production processes themselves aren’t priced differently because of our environmental framework. Where cost is a concern, we’re happy to quote both certified and non-certified options so you can choose.