The printing industry is of great economic importance to the Great lakes region. Lithographic printers employ more than 340,000 people and add $35.4 billion in gross sales to the eight Great Lakes states where one-third of the national printing industry is concentrated. The printing industry is comprised mostly of small businesses; over 80 percent of print shops employ less than 20 people.

The MI-GPP works to support Great Printers by providing technical assistance and promoting the implementation of pollution prevention. Through pollution prevention, printers are able to reduce production costs through more efficient use of raw materials, thus generating less waste and the need for disposal.

To become a Great Printer, a business must pledge to:

• comply with current environmental regulations

• establish a written environmental policy for their business

• implement three pollution prevention goals biennially

• report on goal accomplishments

• participate in technology transfer by sharing experiences and successes with other Great Printers

The Environmental Sciences and Services Division (ESSD) provides support to the program by working to increase membership, tracking and sharing information on pollution prevention goals, and providing technical assistance to printers. The ESSD offers additional incentive by recruiting buyers who have pledged to purchase exclusively from Great Printers.

Members are invited to participate in other ESSD incentive programs, such as the Small Business Pollution Prevention Loan Program that provides low-interest loans; and the Retired Engineer Technical Assistance Program(RETAP) which provides free confidential pollution prevention assessments to printers.