MNN - Mother Nature Network

When you buy something that comes in a paper package, the chances are high that you throw it in your home recycling bin and take it out to the curb to be picked up. But do you ever wonder what happens once the package leaves your house?

 

When you throw out your pizza box, junk mail or packaging from your newest gadget, there’s a good chance that it’s delivered to one of Pratt Industries' three mills. At the mill, recyclables are sorted and baled. Then, paper products are pulped, cleaned, de-inked, drained and dried. The result is paper and packaging that’s 100 percent recycled.  

 

Pratt is the world’s largest, privately-owned paper and packaging company, and the only major paper company in the United States that is 100-percent post-consumer recycled.

 

Pratt helps companies like Zep meet their sustainability goals by providing an environmentally friendly packaging solution. “We think the icing on the cake is that we provide our customers with a sustainability message that allows them to differentiate themselves in the marketplace,” says David Dennis, Pratt’s vice president of sales and marketing.

 

Zep is greening its own operations by reducing packaging and increasing the percentage of recycled content in packaging. “Sustainability is a key enabler for Zep’s profitable growth strategy,” says Cedric Brown, Zep’s vice president and chief procurement officer.

 

The results of Pratt’s recycling efforts are astounding. In 2010, Pratt produced 1 million tons of packaging while saving 17 million trees, 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, 4.5 billion gallons of fresh water and 3.1 billion kilowatt hours of energy. In addition, Pratt saved 2.1 million cubic yards landfill space.

 

Learn more about Pratt at PrattIndustries.com. For more on Zep Inc. and their commitment to the environment visit ZepInc.com