Aurora company begins project for LIFE “Green” certification
“Our goal is to reduce solid waste sent to landfills by 60% or more,” explains George Tommasi, director of human resources, The Label Printer's Illinois EPA Compliance Representative, and the L.I.F.E. team leader and senior executive on the team. “We wanted our major certification project to be something that had significant impact to the environment and the company. We had been sending the equivalent of over 24 trailers of waste to landfills every year, so we felt that this project definitely met our criteria.”
The Label Printers' L.I.F.E. team (Mr. Tommasi, Gina Ries, Matt Slaughter, and Dawn Tesch) have been working since May to choose their project, put their stake in the ground, and establish their goal.
The team analyzed and sorted their solid waste into three categories: recyclable, waste to energy (fuel pellets), and unrecyclable solid waste (landfill). They have written a sustainability manual which they have submitted, along with their certification materials, to T.L.M.I. for evaluation by the L.I.F.E. team, and are preparing for the L.I.F.E. program's Desk Audit – which will occur sometime early in 2011. The last step in the process will be a site audit in the spring of 2011. TLMI/L.I.F.E. has partnered with NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company, for these audits.
“Being ‘green' is a no-brainer,” says Lori Campbell, The Label Printers' chief of operations. “A program like L.I.F.E., done right, means you're reducing waste and therefore cost, improving operations, getting your employees engaged and thinking, and being a good citizen of the planet Earth – all at the same time. We're looking forward to seeing the team's plans come to life.”
The Label Printers is a leading custom label and packaging manufacturer, serving a widely diverse customer base around the globe – ranging from Fortune 100 to start-up businesses. The company serves industries as varied as wine, pharmaceutical, and electrical. The Label Printers takes special pride in their quality, which is backed up by their ISO 9001 Registration (with an acceptance rating which has stayed at a consistent and nearly perfect 99.6% since 1989).
The Label Printers in Aurora is one of the 100 largest converters in the United States. They started in business in 1967, manufacturing simple label constructions in a 1,000-square-foot space, with one employee, serving the local Chicago market. Now, the company owns and operates two facilities in Aurora, manufacturing and distributing labels and packaging products to thousands of customers in over 25 countries around the world. The company is certified to ISO 9001 standards, with a 99.6% Quality Acceptance Rating.
The Label Printers is a member of NASPO (North American Security Products Organization), CACP (Coalition Against Counterfeiting and Piracy), IACC (International Counterfeiting Coalition), TLMI (Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute) and the FTA (Flexographic Technical Association).