Supermarket Perimeter - September 2021 - 11

49% of the
materials that
go into Novolex
F
or many Americans, it's not enough that the companies they
buy their foods and other consumer goods from provide good
quality at a reasonable price.
More and more, consumers also want to know that the stores and
brands they patronize share their values. And companies are listening,
with increased attention to sustainability, worker and animal welfare
and many other concerns that fall under the category of corporate
responsibility.
Erik Gonring, director of sustainability for Hartsville, S.C.-based
Novolex, said that some of the main planks in the company's corporate
responsibility platform include innovating sustainable product
choices for its customers, operating responsibly and investing in the
communities where its employees live and work.
" As a leading packaging provider, we acknowledge a special
responsibility to develop solutions that reduce the impact of our
product on the environment, " Gonring said. " Every day, we're investing
in the people and new technologies designed to lead the marketplace in
sustainability. "
From a product perspective, Novolex partners with its customers to
identify raw materials and product designs that afford balance between
societal needs, greenhouse gases and product disposal.
In the past year, the fruits of that commitment have included:
* The introduction of produce packaging made from 100% recycled
content from Novolex's Waddington Europe division;
* Compostable meat and produce trays made from sugarcane from the
company's Eco-Products brand; and
* The recent acquisition of Flexo Converters USA, Inc., which will allow
Novolex's Duro Bag brand to increase its supply of fully recyclable
paper grocery bags.
In addition to those new products and developments, Novolex
continues to invest more heavily in optimizing the use of raw materials,
investing in energy efficiency and reducing the amount of waste sent to
landfills, Gonring said.
For example, despite the pandemic, the company has continued to
recycle films collected through store drop off programs, and it recently
installed a water treatment system in one of its own recycling facilities
that helps increases the quality and volume of recycled material used to
manufacture new products. Through this system upgrade, its recycling
center capacity has grown by 550,000 lbs. annually.
Novolex's employees play a crucial role in delivering on the
company's corporate responsibility goals, Gonring said. " We work to
engage our teams across the board with programs that encourage skills
growth, sustainable action and product innovation, " he said.
One of the ways Novolex accomplished that during COVID was
through the establishment of its Rapid Innovation Teams, a project
management approach the company took to solve problems and
generate new ideas quickly.
The process not only helped Novolex's remote team members stay
connected, Gonring said. It also led to one of its most meaningful
contributions during the pandemic: converting machines that once
produced bags for fruit and can liners into machines that could produce
personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers at scale.
Over the years, Novolex's corporate responsibility efforts have
evolved to implement more enterprise-wide programs, Gonring said.
In 2020, the company announced a greenhouse gas reduction target
for its operations - 20% by 2025. The decision was made in recognition
of the importance of contributing to the global effort to reduce climate
change impacts, including increasing global temperatures, severe
weather events and sea level rise.
Since establishing that benchmark, Novolex has achieved a 10%
reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions per ton of production, thanks to
renewable energy purchases and energy efficiency investments in its
facilities.
Additionally, for the past three years Novolex has published raw
material metrics that transparently share its journey in raw material
sourcing sustainability.
" We believe it's important to share this progress and contribute to the
discussion about opportunities to increase the circular economy for a
range of materials, " Gonring said.
New this year, Novolex shared in its 2020 sustainability report that 49%
of its raw materials are derived from either renewable or post-consumer
recycled sources. These efforts are also in the interest of measuring and
evaluating Novolex efforts to reduce climate change impacts. When it
comes to its customers, Novolex focuses on a strategic dialogue about
New Niman Ranch magazine emphasizes corporate responsibility
Niman Ranch recently published its
first-ever Niman Ranch Impact Report,
a coffee table-worthy magazine that
shares data and stories on how Niman
Ranch as a small brand has made an
outsized impact.
The report includes a sustainability
analysis, economic impact study,
farmer spotlights and much more, said
Chris Oliviero, Niman Ranch's general
manager.
supermarketperimeter.com
" We aimed to create a magazine that
our current and potential customers
actually enjoy reading and through
that experience learn about our brand's
mission-driven approach to business. "
SEPTEMBER 2021 - 11
packaging come from
renewable or postconsumer
recycled
sources.
NIMAN RANCH, NOVOLEX
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - September 2021

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