How do you know you can trust a potential packaging partner? Sure, you can rely on word of mouth or client testimonials, but there’s another way to find the reassurance you seek: certifications.
When becoming acquainted with a domestic printing and packaging partner, look for which certifications they’ve been awarded, each a mark of excellence from industry authorities. These certifications let you know if a manufacturer continuously invests in training and technologies to maximize efficiency and enhance the quality and consistency of their products.
There are a lot of certifications from internationally recognized organizations and it can be a challenge keeping track of them all, however. They assess everything from a manufacturer’s environmental impact and food safety efforts to color consistency and quality control.
The process to earn each one is rather rigorous. This requires manufacturers to operate at the highest level in their industries.
Let’s review some of the most important certifications you’ll encounter as you consider a printing and packaging partner for your next folding carton project.
First developed in 1987 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), these standards articulate the best practices for various aspects of quality management in the manufacturing industry. From design and pre-press to assemblage and labeling, they’re based on a number of quality management principles, such as customer focus, process approach, and continual improvement.
For printing and packaging in particular, ISO 9001:2015 specifies the requirements a manufacturer must consistently meet when providing products and services. Notably, It is the most popular and widely used standard in the ISO 9000 family, which contains a set of standards for quality management and quality assurance.
ISO certification assures a printing and packaging manufacturer has successfully passed an audit by an accredited certification body and demonstrated:
GMI Prime certification is granted by Graphic Measures International (GMI), a global leader in packaging quality services.
This certification is awarded to packaging and printing manufacturers that meet the high standards of quality and consistency required by major retailers, such as Walgreens, CVS, Home Depot, Target, and Lowe’s, to name a few. The designation is especially important for private label printing that relies on color matching a store’s branded product packaging (and made possible by extended gamut printing).
To be certified, printing and packaging suppliers must demonstrate they can:
Food safety is, perhaps, the most important among the many questions you should ask a food packaging supplier.
A management system recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Safe Quality Food certification is designed to help food packaging supplies comply with international standards and regulations, and ensures food products are safe and high quality for consumers.
SQF certification is managed by the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), a division of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). SQFI develops and maintains the SQF standards, which are based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles—a systematic approach to identify, evaluate, and control food safety hazards throughout the food supply chain.
There are different levels of SQF certification, depending on the scope and complexity of the food operation:
If a food packaging supplier hasn’t earned this certification, partnering with them could expose your brand to significant liability risks.
Attention-grabbing decorative effects such as foil stamping, embossing and debossing, laminates, and specialty coatings are vital for effective packaging design—and that starts with the proper certification.
G7 Master certification is awarded to packaging manufacturers whose printing facilities achieve visual consistency and quality across different print processes and devices. This certification is granted by Idealliance, a global association of graphic communication professionals, based on the G7 methodology—a set of specifications for calibrating printing presses and proofing systems.
This certification means you can expect reliable and high-quality color output that meets your exacting requirements. Notably, G7 Master certification comes in three tiers, each with varying requirements, depending on scope and project complexity: Grayscale, Targeted, and Colorspace.
A G7 Master qualified printer has demonstrated the ability to:
You’ll quickly learn there are multiple design certifications relevant to packaging suppliers. Each one provides you with additional assurance.
The Pantone Certified Printer Program is another way for printing and packaging suppliers to demonstrate their color capability and accuracy. This certification is awarded by Pantone, a world leader in color development and communication, based on its testing and calibration standards.
A rigorous certification process for printing facilities, becoming a Pantone Certified Printer requires stringent examination of every aspect of their color operations, from design and prepress to the ink kitchen and pressroom. This lets you know that the facility follows the best practices for color management and quality control, and can match one of the G7-based color spaces, such as GRACoL or SWOP.
Working with a Pantone Certified Printer often means reduced costs, as well, because printers are not only minimizing waste and ink consumption, but employing more efficient color management and workflow.
There are multiple certifications a printing and packaging manufacturer can earn to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and responsible forest management principles.
The two most common, however, are internationally recognized: the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Each is recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative and supported by many international environmental organizations.
The Forest Stewardship Council is a global leader in sustainable forestry practices. Its rigorous standards focus on making foresters—and by extension, the printing and packaging industry—responsible stewards of the natural world. FSC certification ensures that paperboard and other forest products come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.
FSC certification encompasses three primary guidelines: environmental appropriateness, social benefit, and economic viability. All aspects of forest management and supply chain must adhere to 10 fundamental principles addressing everything from legal compliance and workers' rights to Indigenous Peoples' rights and biodiversity conservation.
When you choose FSC-certified packaging:
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability through responsibly managed forests. Founded in 1994, SFI collaborates with foresters, brand owners, conservation groups, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, governments, and universities to counteract environmental threats.
SFI's work centers around standards for forest management, fiber sourcing, and chain of custody. Each includes associated principles, objectives, and performance measures aimed to guide organizations and businesses toward more sustainable processes.
While forest management standards include measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and forests with "exceptional conservation value," chain of custody standards monitor the amount of paper product that comes from certified lands, recycled content, and non-certified content.
By utilizing SFI-certified paperboard in your folding cartons and packaging:
Lastly, certification from the Green Power Partnership, a program overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recognizes businesses for adopting renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This certification highlights their backing of renewable energy, climate change mitigation, and sustainable energy growth. To earn this acknowledgement, businesses must meet criteria such as using renewable energy certificates, on-site generation, or utility-based green power programs.
Earning EPA Green Power Partnership certification demonstrates a printing and packaging supplier’s:
As a contract manufacturer, you're likely feeling the pressure of today's fast-paced consumer goods market—facing unprecedented demands to meet rapidly evolving consumer preferences and market trends. The packaging industry, particularly in folding cartons, is undergoing a swift transformation that directly impacts your business.
Choosing a certified packaging partner helps you navigate these challenges in a few ways:
When choosing which printing and packaging supplier to work with, be certain its foundation is not only built upon using the most environmentally responsible materials available, but that it abides by internationally recognized industry standards.
At Oliver, we unceasingly invest in top-notch training and new technologies to provide our clients with the highest quality of service and printing and packaging products. That’s why it’s so important to us to remain up to date on all of the aforementioned certifications.
The processes are rigorous, and these internationally recognized organizations challenge us to run at platinum levels of quality—but it’s worth the peace of mind and satisfaction it gives our clients.
Ultimately, we’re delighted when our customers are delighted—and when your consumers are happy, so are we.