Solventless coating and laminating always has been part of Coating Excellence Intl.'s green business plan. Nordmeccanica provides the equipment.

Coating Excellence Intl., a supplier of specialty flexible packaging, has made sustainable development an essential element of its business plan — and ultimately its business success — for the past decade. Company founder and CEO Mike Nowak says it has worked to the mutual benefit of both CEI and its customers.

“We work with our customers to give them the best packaging from a sustainability standpoint,” notes Nowak, who says reducing the weight of packaging has been central to those efforts. “The emphasis on downweighting has always been to save money. When a potential customer comes to us, we don't like to say, ‘Okay, we can make the same thing.’ We try to improve on it and give them a reason to buy from us, and downweighting the package is one way to do that.”

For example, the company developed a woven sack three years ago that has successfully reduced the weight of its finished bags by as much as 50% over the multiwall bags that traditionally have been used to package bulk items like pet foods. It subsequently results in reduced shipping costs for both CEI and its customers, and less waste is being generated during the converting process and ending up in landfills, says Nowak.

But that is just one part of CEI's extensive sustainability program. The company's website highlights more than nearly two dozen aspects of that program involving its products, production, process chemicals, recycling efforts, and shipping. All are designed to mitigate the impact of both its products and processes on the environment.

“We feel we're a leader in reducing product weight, making packaging that is recyclable, using recycled materials, and using renewable energy,” explains Nowak. “All of those things we feel can help our customers.”

Eco-Conscious from the Start

While “sustainability” is a relatively new concept to some in the industry, the idea of “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” has been around for more than two decades. Coating Excellence has been adhering to these basic principles since its founding in 1997.

“We've always focused on the keys to sustainability,” says Nowak. “It has since become very important to our company, our customers, and our industry.”

For example, in marked contrast to many flexible packaging converters, CEI never has used solvent-based inks, coatings, or adhesives in any facet of its converting operation. The use of water-based alternatives also has been a key element of its sustainability program.

Nowak notes that water-based inks and coatings were recognized universally as better for the environment and sustainability when he established Coating Excellence, “but you couldn't get the quality unless you were printing on paper.” Still, he invested in the necessary equipment and processes to deliver superior flexible packaging that met both the needs of its customers and the environment.

“Now, with all the emphasis on the environment and sustainability, we just think that water-based is a much better alternative than solvents,” he says. “It also has a lot less environmental impact from an emissions standpoint, so we look at all those kinds of things. It's kind of a shotgun approach, but if we can reduce numerous things from a sustainability standpoint, we think we're all better off.”