• Login
    • Join
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Labels & Packaging
    • Markets
    • Technology
    • Equipment
    • Supplies
    • Buyers' Guide
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Labels & Packaging
  • Markets
  • Technology
  • Equipment
  • Supplies
  • Buyers' Guide
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Columns
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    Pouch Converting

    Metallic Inks

    A COMMON $ENSE APPROACH TO COATING APPLICATIONS

    Print Management Systems

    Narrow Web Profile: Pacific Barcode, Inc.
    Breaking News
    Converter News
    European Label News
    Industry News
    Industry People
    M&A News
    New Products
    Expert's Opinion
    Live From Shows
    Top News
    Haney welcomes API to VIA Alliance

    Axon to present shrink sleeve label benefits for craft beer

    Reflex Labels Plus orders high-spec Mark Andy P7

    Pulse Roll Label Products launches PureTone in Vietnam

    TMI introduces enhanced coefficient of friction tester
    Beauty & Personal Care Labels
    Beer Labels
    Beverage Labels
    Flexible Packaging
    Folding Carton
    Food Labels
    Glue-Applied
    In-Mold
    Industrial Labels
    Medical Labels
    Pharmaceutical Labels
    Pressure Sensitive
    Prime Labels
    Promotional Labels
    Security Labels
    Shrink
    Smart Labels
    Specialty Labels
    Spirits Labels
    Wine Labels

    Axon to present shrink sleeve label benefits for craft beer

    Ritrama materials help olive oil label win Bronze Award

    AWA explores growing sleeve labels market

    AWA hosts International Sleeve Label Conference in Atlanta

    Primera announces on-demand RFID label printer
    Africa
    Asia
    Australia
    China
    Europe
    India
    Latin America
    Middle East
    North America

    Haney welcomes API to VIA Alliance

    Axon to present shrink sleeve label benefits for craft beer

    Pack Expo East highlights latest industry trends

    Reflex Labels Plus orders high-spec Mark Andy P7

    Pulse Roll Label Products launches PureTone in Vietnam
    Flexography
    Digital Printing
    Prepress
    Finishing
    Sustainability

    Pack Expo East highlights latest industry trends

    Reflex Labels Plus orders high-spec Mark Andy P7

    Flint Group will showcase latest products at Labelexpo Southeast Asia

    Primoreels acquires new Nilpeter FA flexo press

    Codimag appoints DewaFlex to strengthen Benelux support
    Digital Printers & Presses
    Flexo Presses
    Label Converting Equipment
    Label Finishing Equipment
    Prepress Equipment

    Reflex Labels Plus orders high-spec Mark Andy P7

    Primoreels acquires new Nilpeter FA flexo press

    Codimag appoints DewaFlex to strengthen Benelux support

    Uteco Group and Kodak announce availability of Sapphire EVO digital press

    Meech adds new Pulsed DC Controller to Hyperion range
    Dies And Tooling
    Flexo Supplies
    Ink & Coatings
    Prepress Supplies
    Pressrooom Supplies
    Substrates

    Flint Group will showcase latest products at Labelexpo Southeast Asia

    Ritrama materials help olive oil label win Bronze Award

    Flint Group prepares for expansive INFOFLEX display

    'CupCycling' with James Cropper

    CRON-ECRM to feature HDI Flexo CTP at INFOFLEX
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Profiles
    Label Converters
    Trade Associations
    Add New Company
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Aztech Converting Systems Inc.

    Durst Image Technology US, LLC

    Channeled Resources Group

    Andantex USA Inc.

    Ritrama, Inc.
    Industry Events
    Webinars
    Live from Show Events
    • Magazine
      • Current & Past Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Buyers' Guide
      • All Companies
      • Categories
      • Company Profiles
      • Label Converters
      • Trade Associations
      • Add Your Company
    • Labels & Packaging
      • Beauty & Personal Care Labels
      • Beer Labels
      • Beverage Labels
      • Flexible Packaging
      • Folding Carton
      • Food Labels
      • Glue-Applied
      • In-Mold
      • Industrial Labels
      • Medical Labels
      • Pharmaceuticals Labels
      • Pressure Sensitive
      • Prime Labels
      • Promotional Labels
      • Security Labels
      • Shrink
      • Smart Labels
      • Speciality Labels
      • Spirits Labels
      • Wine Tables
    • Markets
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • China
      • Europe
      • India
      • Latin America
      • Middle East
      • North America
    • Equipment
      • Digital Printers & Presses
      • Flexo Presses
      • Label Converting Equipment
      • Label Fishing Equipment
    • Supplies
      • Dies And Tooling
      • Flexo Supplies
      • Ink & Coatings
      • Prepress Supplies
      • Pressrooom Supplies
      • Substrates
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Experts Opinions
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live from Show Events
      • Webinars
    • Jobs
    • Resources
      • Supplier Gallery
      • Literature Showcase
      • Homepage Showcase
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Features

    Sustainable Practices

    Altering our surroundings in business and manufacturing is a major step to creating a greener workplace � and to saving money.

    Jack Kenny10.07.09
    The basic definition of sustainability is the capacity to endure. Today we – many of us – have awakened to the responsibility that we have to our surroundings, our fellow humans and other life forms. This responsibility, to more than just to our immediate families and businesses, asks that we perform and behave without disrupting the present and the future. Today's definition of sustainability, then, might be this: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

    The Tag & Label Manufacturers Institute has launched Project LIFE, the Label Initiative For the Environment, which encourages its converter and supplier members to engage in environmental best practices throughout their companies with the goal of certification. Armed with the LIFE designation, the companies then can let their customers know that they are practitioners of corporate environmental responsibility in a measured way.

    Not everyone in the industry belongs to TLMI, however, but the goal of establishing sustainable practices is still accessible to all. Many converters have implemented such practices completely on their own, guided by leaders for whom environmental awareness is second nature, and who understand the values, both social and economic, of instituting such programs.

    Besides the idea work and planning performed by management, an equally critical aspect of a sustainability program is to engage all of the members of the workforce in the project. "The engaged workforce will find more opportunities to get lean and identify more opportunities to innovate and create products and services that lower customers' environmental impacts. All of this work will improve the top and bottom lines," writes sustainable business expert Andrew Winston in his recent book, Green Recovery. One tested and proven method of doing this is to create a Green Team, people from all levels of the company who have an interest in making a difference. Presented with challenges, their brainstorming will turn up useful ideas once they get into the work.

    At Greenbiz.com, environmental expert Tim Mohin wrote this about Green Teams: "Typically, the members of these groups have little or no involvement in the official corporate environmental or sustainability efforts. They are environmentally minded individuals who are driven to green their lives at home and work.

    "More than a common interest club (think chess club), these teams want to change the way their company functions. Usually, it starts with the most visible items – e.g., cafeteria waste, lighting, commuting, landscape irrigation, etc. After some success with these items, these groups can transition into influencing corporate business practices from design to manufacturing to purchasing and more."

    Starting out


    If you're not sure how or where to begin, start with a basic office paper recycling program. Find out where you can take the paper, or have it picked up, and be sure to include whatever else is recyclable, such as paper and plastic waste from the lunch room.

    Another subject for attention is an area that's already well known to those who pay the bills: energy consumption. Here are some basic practices that will cause a drop in your power use, at the same time easing the load on the grid.

    - Turn off lights, computers and other equipment when they're not in use. A device left plugged into the wall continues to use power, and high energy costs often include paying for wasted power.

    - Replace incandescent lights with energy saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) where appropriate. CFLs cost about 75 percent less to operate and last about 10 times longer.

    - Install sensors in specific locations to turn off lights automatically when no one's in the room, and back on when people return. These are useful in rest rooms, conference rooms, storage closets, and other areas that are not always occupied.

    - Use sunlight whenever possible. It's free. Sensors are available to measure the available light, and will dim or turn off electric lighting when sunlight is adequate.

    The process is similar for water consumption. Fixing leaks will save wasted dollars. Water-saving faucets, shower heads and urinals are readily available. New water heaters can be far more efficient than they used to be. Water temperature should be set only as hot as needed, and probably lower.
    Cutting back on lawn sprinkler use during wet weather also saves money.

    Good ideas for overall building management include these practices:

    - Block direct sunlight shining through windows in the summer.
    - Let the sun in during the day in the winter, but cover the windows at night.
    - Keep external doors closed.
    - Use fans to help delay or reduce the need for air-conditioning in the summer.
    - Use fans to pull warm air down from the ceiling in the winter.
    - Improve the insulation in the climate-controlled portions of your facility.
    - Plug leaks around windows, doors, outlets, etc., with weather-stripping or caulk.

    Attacking energy waste


    In Sussex, WI, USA, the Lauterbach Group has made a concerted effort to cut back on waste of energy and resources. The converting company recently moved into a new building that is LEED certified, which gave the team the opportunity to start afresh. (LEED, a program of the United States Green Building Council, stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.)

    "We capture heat from presses and air compressors and pump it back into the facility," says Heath Lauterbach, vice president of process improvement. "The whole facility has low voltage, high efficiency lighting. In the shop they are definitely bright enough. In the offices the electric lights shut off when there is enough ambient light." To make use of free light from the sun, the new office was constructed with more windows.

    What's more, the HVAC system turns off the heat and the air conditioning in a room if nobody's in there. "We have solar cells in the bathroom sinks, so that when you stick your hand underneath they come on. These are charged by the electricity from the lights," he says.

    All of Lauterbach's waste water, all inks, and anything used in the production area (except for UV inks and coatings) goes down the sink, where it is treated, and all pigments and foreign particles removed. "We have a large filtration system – it takes up a big room," says Lauterbach. The water is re-used and the waste is landfilled. We get tax credits based on that."

    Production


    The production area of any converting plant is where most of the undesirable elements are produced, usually as by-products of the printing and converting processes. Chemicals are released into the air and into the water. Waste in various forms is produced, including the rather large and very measurable labelstock and matrix waste.

    "In our production environment, it's the simple things that we're working on," says Lauterbach. "We are working with customers to re-use cores and pallets. We're bringing back release liners from our customers' plants and sending them out for recycling. We are currently working with UPM Raflatac to bring a baler here, so that we can bale our waste matrix and send it to them." UPM Raflatac manufactures a decking material called ProFi that is composed of waste pressure sensitive material and wood.

    TLMI's Project LIFE expects participants to assess emissions of VOCs and other harmful chemicals to the air, to reduce them and to use best management practices to maintain good air quality. It is the same for materials released into the water system.

    Material waste traditionally has gone to landfills, and many companies still send them there. But the pressure is on throughout the industry to make a change before legislation comes down to have the change made for you. Still, disposal is not easy. Some companies, like Dion Label Printing in Massachusetts, is located near a company that takes its matrix and setup waste and uses it for energy creation. Coast Label, located in Southern California, has its waste collected by a private company that ships it overseas, where it is either reused or recycled. Waste-to-energy plants are increasingly under construction, but a problem of access still exists because such a facility must be within reasonable distance from a label manufacturing plant to make shipping cost-effective.

    Materials


    Only recently has the label industry, printers and suppliers, become aware of the sustainability issue as it applies to label materials. One major introduction that occurred a few years ago was the introduction of EarthFirst, a corn-based film made of polylactic acid, marketed by Plastic Suppliers, which is compostable. The composting, however, is not the kind that occurs in the backyard bin, but rather under controlled conditions.

    Adhesives have always been an obstacle to the recycling process. Conventional adhesives cannot be removed from paper materials, so when they go into the repulping process they literally gum up the works. Recent developments in the creation of recycling compatible adhesives (RCAs) has meant that the materials now can be recycled. In the process, the RCA can be strained from the paper because it forms larger masses than traditional adhesives.

    The people


    The number of label companies that have achieved LIFE certification, or that are in the process thereof, is growing monthly. All of these companies tell similar stories about the real power behind the sustainability quest: the workforce that has signed on to the project. Give a green team a month to come up with ideas, and the results will no doubt surprise management.
    Related Searches
    • Release liner
    • Label industry
    • Pressure sensitive
    • Label printing

    Related Features

    • Metallic Inks

      Metallic Inks

      Supplier R&D has led to viable, cost-effective alternatives that make labels sparkle and shine.
      Steve Katz, Editor 04.09.18

    • Print Management Systems

      Print Management Systems

      New software continues to help label converters streamline their operations.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 04.09.18

    • Narrow Web Profile: Pacific Barcode, Inc.

      Narrow Web Profile: Pacific Barcode, Inc.

      Immersed in digital print technology, the California label company is “changing the way you do labels.”
      Steve Katz, Editor 04.09.18


    • Show me the Proof

      Show me the Proof

      New product developments continue to drive the accuracy and repeatability of proofing systems.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 03.09.18

    • Matrix Removal

      Matrix Removal

      A detailed look at some of the technical elements of this important label converting process.
      Harveer Sahni 03.09.18

    • Flexo Innovation

      Flexo Innovation

      Each element of the process continues to advance, meeting the needs of an evolving industry.
      Steve Katz, Editor 03.09.18


    • Smart Labels

      Smart Labels

      Intelligent and interactive technology is changing the labels and packaging landscape.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 03.09.18

    • Narrow Web Profile: LabelValue.com

      Narrow Web Profile: LabelValue.com

      The e-commerce specialist is bringing innovation to its customers with digital print and shrink sleeve technology.
      Steve Katz, Editor 03.09.18

    • Paper Substrates

      Paper Substrates

      This competitive market has seen new developments and growing demand.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 01.26.18


    • Rotary Diecutting

      Rotary Diecutting

      A look at how suppliers are meeting demand for flexible dies and flexibility.
      Steve Katz, Editor 01.26.18

    • Wine Labels

      Wine Labels

      Often viewed as works of art, for these labels standing out on shelf is of paramount importance for sales success.
      Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor 01.26.18

    • Narrow Web Profile:  Electronic Imaging Materials, Inc.

      Narrow Web Profile: Electronic Imaging Materials, Inc.

      The award-winning company celebrated its 30th anniversary with the addition of a new hybrid digital press.
      Steve Katz, Editor 01.26.18

    • Digital Printers & Presses | Digital Printing | Flexible Packaging | Folding Carton | Pressure Sensitive | Prime Labels

      Digital Growing Pains: Labels, Packaging and Beyond

      Using digital print technology to diversify into non-label markets presents a host of challenges and learning opportunities.
      Sean Skelly 11.17.17

    • Beer Labels | Beverage Labels | Digital Printers & Presses | Digital Printing | Finishing | Flexible Packaging | Label Finishing Equipment | North America | Pressure Sensitive | Prime Labels | Spirits Labels
      Narrow Web Profile:  Blue Label Digital Printing

      Narrow Web Profile: Blue Label Digital Printing

      With a new press that can handle longer runs, the craft beer label specialist continues to grow alongside its customers.
      Steve Katz, Editor 11.17.17

    • Beauty & Personal Care Labels | Beer Labels | Beverage Labels | Food Labels | In-Mold | Industrial Labels | Medical Labels | Pharmaceutical Labels | Pressure Sensitive | Prime Labels | Promotional Labels | Security Labels | Shrink | Smart Labels | Specialty Labels | Spirits Labels | Wine Labels
      The 2017 TLMI Awards

      The 2017 TLMI Awards

      ASL Print FX has taken home the coveted Best of Show award.
      11.17.17


    Breaking News
    • Haney welcomes API to VIA Alliance
    • Flexographic Tech welcomes Interflex Laser Engravers as new silver sponsor
    • Label Traxx to promote digital optimization at Xeikon Café North America
    • Axon to present shrink sleeve label benefits for craft beer
    • INX to showcase Color Catalog at Craft Brewers Conference
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    April 2018

    • Pouch Converting
    • Metallic Inks
    • A COMMON $ENSE APPROACH TO COATING APPLICATIONS
    • Print Management Systems
    • Narrow Web Profile: Pacific Barcode, Inc.
    • View More >

    Copyright © 2018 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.