Petoskey offers plastics recycling sustainability scorecard
Petoskey offers plastics recycling sustainability scorecard
<![CDATA[
Working with sustainability consultants, Petoskey Plastics, Petoskey, Michigan, has developed a system of calculating the environmental impact created by its closed-loop recycling customers.
The company says it is measuring and providing documentation, free of charge, to its customers on landfill diversion, carbon footprint equivalents, emission offsets and water savings. The calculations are based on the level of recycled content supplied within plastic film and bags purchased from Petoskey.
“The program is a first for the blown plastic film industry,” says Jason Keiswetter, Petoskey Plastics executive director of marketing, research and development. “Sustainability scorecards are not new, but they are typically more focused on internal sustainability practices such as recycling or energy saving measures. This is the first robust, proactive effort we have seen that is specifically targeted at customers purchasing products with recycled content. Moreover, the reporting highlights its involvement in a closed loop recycling program.”
Petoskey says it is offering the program at no cost to its customers in the retail, distribution, shipping, automotive and other sectors.
The scorecard is based on a life cycle analysis (LCA) approach to measuring sustainable practices. Typically, an LCA measures energy use, raw materials consumption, air emissions, water effluents and solid wastes during the life cycle of a production system – from the initial extraction of natural resources to the final disposal of wastes. The Petoskey scorecard differs by calculating pounds of carbon emissions saved in purchasing plastic film products with post-consumer recycled content (PCR).
In one scorecard example, a retail chain saved more than 13 million pounds (6,500 tons) of CO2 entering the atmosphere in 2015 through its partnership in Petoskey’s closed-loop recycling program. The scorecard also shows that more than 91,000 gallons of water was saved and the equivalent of more than 13,000 barrels of oil was not consumed, contributing to the reduction in CO2 emissions.
“This new scorecard gives our customers and closed-loop partners the advantage of evaluating the actual impact of their purchasing and sustainability efforts, and communicating them in a way that investors, employees and their own customers can easily understand,” says Keiswetter. “Making a commitment to sustainable practices requires an investment, and this provides a quantitative evaluation of the return on that investment to the environment.”
“With its pioneering efforts in closed-loop recycling and development of products containing PCR, Petoskey Plastics has long been a leader in the blown plastics film industry,” says Kim Holmes, director of recycling and diversion at SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association. “This unique scorecard once again proves Petoskey’s leadership and can serve as a model for others in the industry.”
Petoskey Plastics is a manufacturer of recycled-content plastic film, bags and resins for customers in the automotive, industrial, institutional, retail, construction and home improvement sectors. The company has facilities in Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee.
]]>
Source: Recycling Today
Petoskey offers plastics recycling sustainability scorecard
<![CDATA[Working with sustainability consultants, Petoskey Plastics, Petoskey, Michigan, has developed a system of calculating the environmental impact created by its closed-loop recycling customers. The company says it is measuring and providing documentation, free of charge, to its customers on landfill diversion, carbon footprint equivalents, emission offsets and water savings. The calculations are based on the level of recycled content supplied within plastic film and bags purchased from Petoskey. “The program is a first for the blown plastic film industry,” says Jason Keiswetter, Petoskey Plastics executive director of marketing, research and development. “Sustainability scorecards are not new, but they are typically more focused on internal sustainability practices such as recycling or energy saving measures. This is the first robust, proactive effort we have seen that is specifically targeted at customers purchasing products with recycled content. Moreover, the reporting highlights its involvement in a closed loop recycling program.” Petoskey says it is offering the program at no cost to its customers in the retail, distribution, shipping, automotive and other sectors. The scorecard is based on a life cycle analysis (LCA) approach to measuring sustainable practices. Typically, an LCA measures energy use, raw materials consumption, air emissions, water effluents and solid wastes during the life cycle of a production…