Since I usually work in the food & beverage industry, it was a nice change of pace to see what is happening and as is expected, many companies were talking about sustainability. Here is another list of companies that I thought stood out:
At the top of my list is Mirel plastics. Apparently, Mirel is a biobased, biodegradable, compostable, bioplastic produced from corn. Well, I had heard of "biodegragable plastic" before and was quite sceptical because, hey what will this plastic degade into? Little bits of plastic? What makes Mirel different is that since it is corn based, it fully biodegrades in a short period of time when exposed to soil or a compost. I'm not clear on the science behind this, but the person that I spoke with at the show explained that the material is grown from microbes that convert sugar from corn somehow. Heavy stuff. However, from their literature, this material could replace polyolefin & polystyrene plastic. Their facility is due to be in production in 2009 an I think you should at least take a look at them. If you want to get some of it for yourself, pick up a gift card from Target as it is made from Mirel.
Next is Monadnock Paper Mills in Bennington NH. They are a paper mill that has made it their policy to promote environmental awareness and invest in research to determine innovative ways to reduce waste and efficiently use natural resources. They say on their website that their plant gets up to 25% of its power directly from a local hydro electric source. They print a really well researched pamphlet that they will send you called, A Field Guide to Eco-Friendly, Efficient and Effective Print, which contains at-a-glance printing and paper information about important issues being faced by this industry.
Parallel Products is an environmental services company and North America's leader in unsaleable destruction and recycling. They specialize in the destruction and recycling of full case and bulk beverages, alcohol, health and beauty and bulk streams and will take your packaging wastes and convert it to useful byproducts such as fuel-grade ethanol. This is a direct assault on the waste stream and I like the idea that companies are emerging that offer innovative, environmental ways to recycle.
Disc Graphics in Hauppauge, NY, a company that makes paperboard and high-end mini-flute boxes, offers an exclusive paperboard stock that is produced from a mineral and uses no trees or chemical breaching to produce. They offer a variety of post consumer waste boxes, and print with linseed-oil based inks. They are also part of the Forest Stewardship Council which plants a tree for every one that they cut down.
My old friends at CCL Tube are marketing a post-consumer resin (PCR) tube that can be made of up to 70% PCR. They claim a three-layered process that isolates the product from the PCR material. In this manner the product does not come into contact with the recycled material, which insures integrity as recycled plastic materials pose a problem with the potential for inclusions.
1 comment:
Great info! Thanks for sharing!
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