FTA Bestows Environmental Excellence Awards

RONKONKOMA, N.Y.—The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA, www.flexography.org) recognized two of its member companies in the 10th Annual FTA Environmental Excellence Award competition. Specialty Printing LLC, of East Windsor, Connecticut, took top honors in the competition with its process improvement initiatives, and Robbie Fantastic Flexibles, of Lenexa, Kansas, earned an honorable mention.

Specialty Printing is a label manufacturer involved in the design and conversion of forms, labels, and packaging products for the government, medical, and retail industries. The facility implemented a recycling, conservation, and cost savings project that has made a positive impact on the environment.

Specialty Printing underwent its project to become a better steward of the environment and in response to the demands of its customers and suppliers. The company was also interested in cutting costs by using more efficient methods that increase productivity while reducing the waste of natural resources, like electricity, water, and paper, and reducing the amounts of waste produced as a result of manufacturing. Due to this program, Specialty Printing has been able to reduce running waste an average of one million feet per month, reduce set-up times by more than half, and significantly reduce water consumption. This has further amounted to an increased employee understanding and participation with conservation processes.

Robbie Fantastic Flexibles produces bags, pouches, and packaging films for a variety of markets. The company, a certified SGP Printer, developed a sustainability program using the Sustainable Green Printing PartnershipTM criteria as the framework. Robbie has implemented a continuous improvement project which led to a 15 percent landfill reduction by December 2009. The company’s goal is to reduce landfill waste by another 15 percent by December 2010.

Awards were presented at the National Environmental, Health & Safety Conference in Indianapolis, IN.