The Label Printers, a narrow web manufacturer of security and pressure-sensitive labels, earned honorable mention in this year’s Environmental Excellence Award competition.
Photo courtesy of The Label Printers
The company started in 1967 serving the local Chicago market with one employee in a 1,000 sq. ft. space. Today, the company has evolved into one of the top 100 converters in the United States. It still offers flexographic printing but has added flexible material packaging to its services.
The Label Printers continually evaluates every aspect of purchasing, operations and waste generation. Its “Go Green, Save Green and Earn Green!” program is built on the premise that the company can not only reduce costs by being a better environmental steward, but that sustainability initiatives can also generate savings and revenue for the company.
As a result of the program, almost 70 percent of what had previously been solid waste that was sent to a landfill is either recycled or converted into energy. The company diverted more than nine tractor-trailer loads of waste from landfills, including returning almost 1,000,000 linear feet of stock, to the process stream.
Through an interdepartmental program, The Label Printers reduced wastewater generation by more than 1,000,000 gallons per year. Equipment was retrofitted so that it only ran when necessary, instead of operating at all hours, making a significant impact on water usage.
As a result of these efforts, the company generates more than $15,000 in savings and revenues from sustainability initiatives in one year.
“The Label Printers is committed to excellence in all that we do. Building on a strong, quality foundation, our sustainability initiatives have provided a means to set goals, track progress and communicate results to employees and external stakeholders. We appreciate FTA’s recognition of the progress we have made since we consider ourselves to be at the very early stages in our journey to sustainability,” comments George Tommasi, director of human resources.
“What impressed me about The Label Printers was the creative approach to find outlets for waste materials or to eliminate the waste by changing business practices,” added Judge Lori Ashford, Robbie Fantastic Flexibles (a past FTA Environmental Excellence Award winner). “Its efforts not only improved the environmental impact, but also showed that being sustainable is economically viable. The firm did this with employee engagement at all levels in the organization.”
“It’s exciting to see all these companies get creative in how they meet the sustainability challenge and how they engage their employees in their efforts,” Heather Barrett, MacDermid Printing Solutions, summarized. “They are setting an excellent example for the rest of us to follow.”