Laird Plastics Increases Profitability While Reducing Waste

With each passing day, the need for eco-friendly products and materials is increasing, particularly in the printing industry. Laird Plastics, a leading independent plastics distribution, manufacturing and recycling solution provider and SGIA Sustainability Recognition Award Honoree, discovered a solution for customers who demanded more environmental transparency — and has used it to protect the planet while improving their own business success. In 2007, Laird launched their energy reduction program and recycled 2,140,000 pounds of plastics and plastic-related materials and saw an 8.3 percent reduction in gas and power usage. As they continued to recycle more year over year, they reached a staggering 14,300,000 pounds of recycled materials by 2015 and a more than 35 percent reduction in overall natural resource consumption. In 2015, their project centered around providing facilities with additional containers and training to better segregate their recyclable materials. This allowed Laird to increase the amount of truly recyclable items on each load resulting in higher gross weight — ultimately reducing overall fuel and transportation costs. [[{"fid":"4941","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"format":"medium","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Laird","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"Laird","height":480,"width":319,"style":"height:480px; width:319px","class":"file-medium media-element"}}]] Cutting station in Laird facility to allow plastic trimmings to be segregated by type         [[{"fid":"4943","view_mode":"medium","fields":{"format":"medium","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Laird","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"Laird","height":319,"width":480,"style":"height:319px; width:480px","class":"file-medium media-element"}}]] New corner guards made of recycled materials

“When I tell customers about our program, I first emphasize the need to be as environmentally mindful as possible,” says Keith Friker, General Manager, Laird Plastics – Recycling. “Plastics can sometimes be complicated, so we want to make sure our customers are getting the most value for their materials that we’re buying, while also making sure we’re doing the right thing ecologically with the scraps and materials that are leftover.” R-E-C The Laird Plastics Recycling — Environmental — Consulting (LP R-E-C) division was launched in 2009 and is a “business unit solely devoted to domestic plastic recycling and sustainable supply-chain management.” The division aims to provide a policy for how companies, including Laird Plastics, can lessen its carbon footprint while continuing to develop new sustainable business practices, all while promoting profitability. Additionally, the LP R-E-C provides a solution for the end-of-life cycle for branded material. Since branded material can be considered intellectual property, how these materials are disposed of can raise unique concerns for brand owners. The LP R-E-C assures brand owners that their materials are being properly handled — whether to be reused, repurposed, used for thermal value or modified in any way — by tracking, documenting and reporting the full end-of-life cycle. “We track the materials and give our customers and end users certificates to show them how much they’ve recycled throughout the year,” said Friker. “It gives them an idea as to what the materials are being recycled into, whether it’s a new sheet, extrusion, or pellet.” Educating the Industry While “plastic” and “environmentally friendly” don’t often go together, Friker and the Laird team know that to be untrue. “It’s a lot about education,” he says. “Some companies don’t know that the vast majority of plastics can be — and are — recycled. It can be a struggle to find a good use for certain materials, but it isn’t impossible. One of the things we’ve developed is our recycled plastic corner guard, which keeps tens of thousands of pounds of plastics out of landfills and puts them to good use. Like I said, it’s all about education, of the rest of the industry and even my own team. Plastics don’t have to be a bad thing.”