Promoflex International, St. Leonard, QC, Canada, took top honors in the 2012 Environmental Excellence Award Competition for its sustainable efforts. The nearly 50-year-old flexographic printer employs more than 50 people at its 20,000-sq. ft. facility, and using three flexo presses offers cutting-edge, ecological and customizable display solutions. The firm prints easy to install and carry roll flexible banners, string pennants and crowd flags.
Promoflex believes in the need to protect the environment and has set two main objectives:
- Prevent pollution by reducing the amount of waste generated by its production cycle and undertake a complete recycling process for the various components involved
- Raise the environmental awareness of Promoflex’s workforce toward issues by providing staff with adequate training and by implementing an efficient internal communication network to promote its philosophy
To reduce its environmental footprint, Promoflex joined the EnviroClub program. This program groups 10 companies from the same Montreal region and offers training and counseling to help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Promoflex’s actions center around The Five R’s: Replace, Reduce, Reuse, Recover and Recycle.
Promoflex’s environmental program is extensive. The company uses the heat generated by air compressors to heat the facility and lighting fixtures have been replaced with state-of-the-art technology to reduce energy use. Further, its solvent recycling program resulted in reducing solvent purchases by more than 1,000 liters over a nine-month period. And Promoflex didn’t stop there: the company’s corrugated recycling program has reduced waste by 3 tons annually and reduced its overall carbon footprint by 30 tons per year.
Promoflex has an awareness program that encourages employees to participate in these environmental initiatives and make new suggestions. The company inspires community involvement by donating all profits generated from Promoflex’s recycling program to social causes—such as the local guide dog foundation.
“Promoflex has a very comprehensive environmental program in place that ticks all the boxes in terms of sustainability and employee involvement,” states Judge Heather Barrett, MacDermid Printing Solutions. “What really set it apart was the commitment to redistributing the money that it saved from sustainability efforts back into non-profit causes in the community.”
“All of us at Promoflex are proud to be the winner of the 2012 Environmental Excellence Award,” Ghislain Perreault, production manager, Promoflex International, Inc., responded about winning the award. “For 50 years, our team has been committed to environmental practices in the development of our products. We are pleased to have implemented a green culture within our company and have improved our performance in social responsibility.”