Advance Packaging earns FTA Sustainability Excellence Award

Advance Packaging sees clean manufacturing, the development of people and economic stability as being key to long-term viability.

In 2005, the FTA member broke ground on a 425,000 sq ft manufacturing space in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In the planning stages of the new build, Advance Packaging took the opportunity to create a facility that would shrink its environmental footprint even as it allowed its physical, production and geographic footprints to grow.

The company took great care to ensure the structure was as sustainable possible with the floorplan designed to minimize human contact with sheets by placing corrugator machines, converting machines and shipping docks in optimal spots. Conveyor lines were implemented to reduce energy consumption.

Additionally, the company purchased a 110-in BHS corrugator which enables Advance Packaging to now produce more and use less natural gas while doing it. Above the new corrugator, Advance Packaging installed barriers and tubes to capture, then distribute the heat generated during production, further reducing energy costs by heating the building in the winter and keeping it cooler in the summer.

Advance Packaging is certified with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and only purchases from paper suppliers who comply with SFI standards. The company instituted what it calls a 'cooler corrugating philosophy' in 2010. By keeping paper temperatures below 212 degrees F, there is less waste due to over drying. This year the company will introduce a sustainability committee made up of employees from different departments tasked with identifying areas of continuous improvement in its environmental footprint, social responsibilities and economic opportunities.

Catherine Cole, Advance Packaging sales and marketing analyst, said: 'As a corrugated manufacturer, we rely heavily on earth’s natural resources. We want to be around to provide packaging long into the future. That means taking care of our community so we have employees, our economic viability and the resources we need to produce our product.'