The John Henry Co. Implements GOEX Corp. Recycling Program
January 14, 2009
|
Janesville, Wis.—GOEX Corp, a manufacturer of quality printable plastic sheet, has announced that The John Henry Company, a division of Multi Packaging Solutions, is among the first companies to participate in the GOEX Corporation’s “closed-loop” plastic recycling program.
“John Henry supplies plant tags, merchandising, and marketing solutions to growers, greenhouses and garden centers, as well as to florists and wholesale floral operations,” says Jon Luea, John Henry’s Product Development Manager for Grower Plastics. “Recognizing the industry’s interest in sustainable practices, we have worked to develop recycled products, plastic alternatives, and recycling programs for our customers. Our closed-loop program with GOEX is the second recycling program we’ve implemented this year, following the Blackmore program we recently announced to collect clean styrene tags from growers and garden centers and recycle them to produce plant trays. The GOEX program is helping us focus upstream to combine sustainable manufacturing practices with recycled products.” Although John Henry has recycled paper and plastic scrap for years, “This is the first time we’ve worked with the extruder to reintroduce it as a product. It’s a very exciting opportunity.” Luea says.
GOEX promotes its “zero landfill” program as an opportunity for customers like John Henry to extract value from processed plastics they previously regarded as waste. With proper handling procedures in place, plastic scrap (makeready waste, finished scrap, etc.) can be collected, recycled, enhanced with virgin raw material and extruded into a functional, printable plastic sheet that customers can use over and over again.
Gone, but Not Forgotten
“The John Henry R&D team evaluated numerous materials options, including ‘biodegradable’ and recycled plastics. We concluded that the GOEX solution using recycled plastic was a more viable solution for customers trying to balance sustainability and costs,” Luea says. “There are biodegradable plastics such as PLA available, but research shows that these materials do not fully decompose and are relatively expensive with limited availability,” he explains. “While these materials partially degrade, they leave behind microscopic pieces of plastic that never go away and won’t revert to organic matter, creating a long-term problem. Short-term, you feel pretty good about it, but if there’s a better solution, you should look at it. That’s what recycling is all about, and GOEX has been a huge help in making this happen.”
“John Henry supplies plant tags, merchandising, and marketing solutions to growers, greenhouses and garden centers, as well as to florists and wholesale floral operations,” says Jon Luea, John Henry’s Product Development Manager for Grower Plastics. “Recognizing the industry’s interest in sustainable practices, we have worked to develop recycled products, plastic alternatives, and recycling programs for our customers. Our closed-loop program with GOEX is the second recycling program we’ve implemented this year, following the Blackmore program we recently announced to collect clean styrene tags from growers and garden centers and recycle them to produce plant trays. The GOEX program is helping us focus upstream to combine sustainable manufacturing practices with recycled products.” Although John Henry has recycled paper and plastic scrap for years, “This is the first time we’ve worked with the extruder to reintroduce it as a product. It’s a very exciting opportunity.” Luea says.
GOEX promotes its “zero landfill” program as an opportunity for customers like John Henry to extract value from processed plastics they previously regarded as waste. With proper handling procedures in place, plastic scrap (makeready waste, finished scrap, etc.) can be collected, recycled, enhanced with virgin raw material and extruded into a functional, printable plastic sheet that customers can use over and over again.
Gone, but Not Forgotten
“The John Henry R&D team evaluated numerous materials options, including ‘biodegradable’ and recycled plastics. We concluded that the GOEX solution using recycled plastic was a more viable solution for customers trying to balance sustainability and costs,” Luea says. “There are biodegradable plastics such as PLA available, but research shows that these materials do not fully decompose and are relatively expensive with limited availability,” he explains. “While these materials partially degrade, they leave behind microscopic pieces of plastic that never go away and won’t revert to organic matter, creating a long-term problem. Short-term, you feel pretty good about it, but if there’s a better solution, you should look at it. That’s what recycling is all about, and GOEX has been a huge help in making this happen.”
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
Go Green Profitably
Emerging Strategies: Green Printing and Sustainability
Chemistry for the Graphic Arts
What the Printer Should Know About Paper