Green Practices

Green and Sustainable Practices at Poly Print

Poly Print cares about the environment and the effects our industry has on it; to demonstrate our commitment to minimizing harmful effects on the planet, we have created a culture that embraces the importance of sustainability. Our hazardous and non-hazardous processes have been identified and hazards mitigated through recycling programs, equipment installations, and policies designed to reduce our carbon footprint. In fact, in 2008, Poly Print developed an official Environmental Policy, which has become a guiding principle in our everyday workplace practices.

Poly Print Environmental Policy

Our company is committed to protecting the heath and safety of our employees, the public, and the environment.

To the best of our ability, we will:

  • Develop and implement a pollution prevention plan with clear and measurable goals.
  • Provide employee awareness and training programs concerning pollution prevention planning and implementation.
  • Incorporate the pollution prevention plan into management practices and procedures.
  • Use pollution prevention to reduce or eliminate the toxicity and amount of toxic substances and hazardous wastes generated by our manufacturing practices, minimize these substances’ undesirable effects on air, water, and land resources, and conserve resources whenever possible, including energy and water.
  • Comply with relevant laws and regulations, and implement programs and procedures to assure environmental compliance.

Our management and employees are committed to continuous improvement and will consistently seek opportunities to improve the effectiveness of our environmental program.

What Sustainability Means to Us

We are all responsible for health of our planet: the steps we take today will affect the air, water, and land of tomorrow. We at Poly Print are committed to reviewing our materials, products, and processes for opportunities to reduce waste and pollutants. We believe that no effort with this goal is too small: we cannot change the entire world, but we are committed to doing our part.

To support the company’s ongoing effort to reduce or eliminate its negative environmental impacts, Poly Print has created a Pollution Prevention Team that meets regularly to discuss opportunities for source reduction and sustainable product replacements and regularly review the environmental program to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Projects and Responsibilities of the Pollution Prevention Team:

  • Provide employee awareness and training programs to involve all levels of production in pollution prevention planning and implementation.
  • Ensure ongoing incorporation of the pollution prevention plan into management practices and procedures.
  • Use pollution prevention to reduce or eliminate the quantity of toxic substances in and around our facility and reduce or eliminate their toxicity to the extent possible.
  • Use pollution prevention to reduce hazardous wastes and minimize their undesirable effects on air, water, and land resources.
  • Use pollution prevention to conserve resources, including energy and water.

Past and Ongoing Projects and Initiatives:

  • Replaced all lighting in production facilities with Intelligent High Bay Lighting, resulting in an ongoing savings of more than 21,000 kilowatts per month.
  • Installed a closed-loop solvent recycler, which has enabled 85% recapture of solvents that are used in printing inks and processes.
  • Installed a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO), which destroys 99% of harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), preventing their release into the environment (most VOCs come from the solvents that are used in printing inks).
  • Installed a water-based laminator and a solvent-less laminator, neither of which generate any hazardous waste or VOCs during operation.

Recycling Efforts:

  • All wooden pallets: more than 10,000 annually
  • Wooden end boards: more than 30,000 annually
  • All plastic strappings
  • All plastic core plugs
  • All corrugated items
  • Worn and obsolete rubber printing plates
  • Metals, including ink drums and strappings
  • All scrap and trim film waste is baled and removed

Organizations and Sponsorships:

At Poly Print we feel compelled to align ourselves with organizations that have similar values and ethics to our own; we currently belong to both the Arizona Recycling Coalition and Southern Arizona Environmental Managers (SAEMS) and are annual sponsors of the SAEMS Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and Pollution Prevention Seminars.

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