A Kodak award for environmental platemaking has gone to Malaysia's New Straits Times Press.

The publisher is the first winner of the Sonora Green Leaf award in southeast Asia, and the second in the Asia-Pacific region.

Established in 1845, the New Straits Times now reaches more than 5.6 million readers, through four printing plants across the country for its portfolio of six daily newspapers.

Efforts to make production more sustainable have seen a reduction in paper waste of more than 24 per cent, with investment in press systems continuing to improve efficiency and a policy of sending all newsprint waste for recycling.

Process-free Sonora plates were introduced at the headquarters site last year,. resulting in the elimination of water and chemicals, and reduction in energy and waste.

"NSTP is one of Malaysia's most respected and admired brands," says Kodak print systems vice president and director of product management Evandro Matteucci. "NSTP's moves to become a more sustainable printer build on this legacy of excellence."

Other efforts to reduce environmental impact across physical plant operations include monitoring energy usage and greenhouse gas emission.

Matteucci says significant growth in demand for process-free plates has coincided with the commercial print industry's devotion to developing and integrating sustainable solutions. Adoption of Sonora plates grew by an estimated 50 per cent in 2015.

Pictured: Kodak managing director (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) Komal Sharma (third from right) presents the award to NSTP production general manager Aszman Kasmani, with (from left) Vincent Kee and Helena Eian (Accel), and Tze Keen (Kodak) and Tengku Zaiman (Accel). Picture Nur Adibah Ahmad Izam)