Sustainable Operations
Keeping employees safe, protecting the environment, and doing more with less are not only good for business, they are the right thing to do.
Stewardship
Carefully and responsibly managing freight and energy through strategically placing stock, reducing rushed and partial shipments, and optimizing operations to minimize energy consumption.
Tekni-Plex treads lightly.
In 2019, the United States alone used 143 billion gallons of fuel for transportation. Discovery, drilling, refining, and transporting that fuel takes billions of gallons more. Tekni-Plex understands that transportation and conversion energy are resource intensive, and we have a responsibility to conserve wherever we can. We are both consumers of transportation and energy and stewards of them as limited resources.
Reduced Water and Energy in New York
Blauvelt, New York, adiabatic cooling system reduces water and energy consumption and eliminates chemicals.
Investing in safety, efficiency, and the environment is a priority for Tekni-Plex. The capital improvement at our Blauvelt packaging manufacturing facility is an example. That facility produces a wide variety of single-layered and multilayered foam or foil/film closure liners for products marketed in glass, metal, and plastic containers. The Blauvelt facility also manufactures pressure-sensitive, tamper-evident, and peelable
induction-seal liners.
Blauvelt replaced a 2,100-ton forced draft cooling tower, a 60-ton central chiller, and five water cooled chillers with an adiabatic cooling system, which yielded many sustainable benefits including:
- 80% reduction in water usage
- Future energy savings of 375,000 kWh per year
- Elimination of chemicals used to prevent Legionnaires’ disease from entering the water system without sacrificing employee safety
Learning from Blauvelt’s three years of success, Tekni-Plex Medical’s facility in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is installing a similar system in FY2021.
Efficiency
Continuous improvement and superior engineering reduce scrap that would otherwise be generated by unnecessary changeovers, equipment failures, and process upsets.
Tekni-Plex endeavors to do more with less through targeted investment.
In 2018 alone, an estimated 359 tons of plastic entered markets around the world. While Tekni-Plex knows its products contribute to a healthier, safer, more convenient world, we are mindful of the limitations of our shared world resources. Through targeted investment and continuous-improvement programs, Tekni-Plex knows doing more with less is good for business and the world we share.
Waste Bailers in Wisconsin
In Madison, Wisconsin, dedicated waste bailers for corrugated boxes, chipboard, and paper make it easier to recycle.
Our Madison, Wisconsin, healthcare packaging manufacturing facility has focused on reducing the waste it generates and recycling as much of that waste as possible. The only two sources of waste that leave this manufacturing facility are:
- Hand-carried garbage bags.
- Separated recyclable waste.
This facility has dedicated waste bailers and compactors for four waste streams, including corrugated boxes, chipboard, and paper. And, as an added measure, trash must be carried the length of the plant, whereas recycling bins are available throughout, making it easier to recycle rather than sending waste to a landfill.