Petoskey Plastics, a Michigan-based, environmentally-focused film, bag and resin manufacturer, has developed a recycling scorecard system that calculates the impact its closed-loop recycling partners are having on the environment.
The company is measuring and providing free documentation to its customers on landfill diversion, carbon footprint equivalents, emission offsets and water savings. The data is based on the level of recycled content supplied within film and bags purchased from Petoskey.
“The program is a first for the blown plastic film industry,” says Jason Keiswetter, executive director of marketing for research and development at Petoskey Plastics. “Sustainability scorecards are not new, but they are typically more focused on internal sustainability practices such as recycling or energy saving measures. This is the first robust, proactive effort we have seen that is specifically targeted at customers purchasing products with recycled content. Moreover, the reporting highlights their involvement in a closed loop recycling program.”
Petoskey is offering the program at no cost to its recycling partners in retail, distribution, shipping, automotive and other sectors.
The scorecard is based on a life cycle analysis (LCA) approach to measuring sustainable practices. Typically, an LCA measures energy use, raw materials consumption, air emissions, water effluents and solid wastes along the entire life cycle of a production system – from the initial extraction of natural resources to the final disposal of wastes.
“This new scorecard gives our customers and closed-loop partners the advantage of evaluating the actual impact of their purchasing and sustainability efforts, and communicating them in a way that investors, employees and their own customers can easily understand,” added Keiswetter. “Making a commitment to sustainable practices requires an investment, and this provides a quantitative evaluation of the return on that investment to the environment.”
Petoskey Plastics
(231) 347-2602; www.petoskeyplastics.com
