Materials and gear producer working to satisfy the calls for of an environmentally acutely aware world

Volm Corporations and Yellowstone Plastics is a fabric and gear producer and provider. The enterprise provides product options for contemporary produce, frozen and processed meals, garden and backyard, pet merchandise, out of doors fencing and materials, erosion management, panorama, culvert and drainage, and seafood, snacks, sweets, and dairy industries.

Volm Corporations and Yellowstone Plastics’ portfolio of merchandise consists of packaging of assorted sizes and kinds, packaging provides, and a full line of packaging gear. Providers embrace packing facility design and engineering, in addition to stock administration.

As an entire design, gear, and consumables provider, Volm Corporations imagine they’ve a novel and thrilling alternative to offer considerate options that assist cut back landfill waste and meet the calls for of a extra environmentally acutely aware world. The Inexperienced Enterprise Bureau is proud to share Volm Corporations’ sustainability journey up to now.

Approaching Sustainability with social and environmental accountability in thoughts

Volm Corporations and Yellowstone Plastics (YP) acknowledge enterprise operations want to vary to trigger much less hurt to the setting. As such, the model seeks to constantly evolve based mostly on buyer demand and expectations, to scale back the environmental impression of enterprise practices, and to create a socially accountable company. Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at a number of the key sustainability initiatives Volm and YP have applied.

Tile-making night time hosted at Volm Corporations. Volm sponsored one of many Antigo Legacy Mosaic Mural Tasks. This challenge’s objective was to carry the Antigo Group collectively by having neighborhood members create ceramic tiles which are displayed as a part of the 5 murals all through the varsity district.

Diverting waste and supporting a round economic system with revolutionary design

Over the course of a yr, Volm Corporations has stored greater than 900,000 lbs of pre-consumer waste out of landfills. Under we element how the enterprise has carried out this.

Firstly, Volm Corporations sends pre-consumer materials that was both faulty, rejected, or extra poly movie to a recycler, who’ll then remodel this materials into helpful merchandise.

Secondly, to extend recycling efforts, Volm has applied a 3-month recycling initiative at their company location, whereby the corporate donates $1 for each pound of fabric that’s recycled (cardboard, paper, RICs 1-5, glass, and aluminum cans). This cash is donated to native non-profits with a particular which means to one in every of their very own staff.

Thirdly, Volm is working arduous to develop their sustainable packaging portfolio, whereas additionally evaluating the right way to design merchandise for a round economic system. Their portfolio now consists of recyclable supplies, paper, biobased, compostable, and light-weight merchandise. The model has additionally developed a light-blocker movie that filters out UV gentle to gradual the over-ripening of meals merchandise, serving to to scale back meals waste.

PGA netting manufactured for PGA tournaments – this materials is then recycled.

On account of Volm and YP’s dedication towards waste discount, innovation, and a round economic system (plus extra), the model was one in every of 9 award winners on the thirty fourth annual Wisconsin Producer of the Yr (MOTY) ceremony. The MOTY awards are given for excellent achievements in manufacturing. Volm was chosen from greater than 9,000 eligible Wisconsin producers. Finalists are evaluated on innovation, philanthropy, buyer dedication, advances in know-how, and the standard of jobs offered.

Knapkavage Bag: Made utilizing the paper that gained the 2021 Innovator of the Yr Award for the Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Bettering vitality effectivity for a decreased carbon footprint

Volm Corporations and YP know making a sustainable enterprise wants a holistic strategy, one which considers operational impacts throughout a large number of environmental components. For that reason, the model’s inexperienced agenda extends past waste discount.

The enterprise can also be targeted on lowering vitality waste through effectivity enhancements, and conducting vitality audits to establish goal areas for enchancment. Audit outcomes are then used to attract up really helpful actions. The purpose is to scale back the enterprise’s vitality use and carbon footprint.

Making a socially accountable enterprise through philanthropy and neighborhood involvement

Volm and YP acknowledge the significance of supporting their communities by means of each philanthropy and neighborhood involvement. They’re at the moment engaged on creating a Volunteer Time Off coverage that may enable staff to present again to their communities whereas being paid. The model understands that having a work-life stability may be tough, so this program will enable individuals to present again to their neighborhood with out having to sacrifice time with their very own households.
For Volm and YP, social accountability has at all times been a core enterprise worth. The model has an extended historical past of philanthropy and giving again to the communities which have supported them for thus a few years. With its company workplace in Antigo, WI, and because the second largest employer within the metropolis, Volm is aware of that in the event that they need to entice and retain workers, they have to care for their staff and their households.

With this in thoughts, Volm Corporations sponsors a number of actions for his or her worker’s households. As an illustration, for households which are deeply rooted of their Christian values, Volm covers the price of their worker’s kids to attend one week at a Lutheran Bible camp throughout the summer time.

The Inexperienced Enterprise Bureau brings accountability and steering for sustainable development

Volm Corporations’ needed to work with a inexperienced enterprise certification supplier that may not solely certify and validate their sustainability program, however one that would additionally act as a useful resource to assist the corporate progress their sustainability journey. As such, Volm and YP partnered with the Inexperienced Enterprise Bureau.

The group at Volm Corporations are dedicated to being good stewards for not solely the setting but additionally the neighborhood. They needed their staff, clients, suppliers, and neighborhood members to acknowledge the model’s dedication to creating the world a greater place for generations to return. Volm Corporations is aware of that partnering with GBB will assist carry accountability, preserve the momentum excessive, and stop stagnancy. Volm Corporations’ Inexperienced Group now manages the implementation of GBB throughout 4 websites.

Lean coaching at Volm’s Pasco location.

By becoming a member of GBB, Volm Corporations pledges their dedication to do proper by their clients, staff, communities served, and the setting. Utilizing GBB’s EcoAssessment and EcoPlanner, Volm Corporations can establish areas for enchancment throughout the scope of sustainability, whereas additionally celebrating their achievements. The GBB platform has additionally allowed Volm to establish, prioritize, and measure new sustainability initiatives, and have them licensed by a trusted third celebration.

As we speak Volm Corporations can have fun their silver-green enterprise certification standing.

Rising to the problem of sustainability by following their journey of steady enchancment

The most important sustainability problem Volm and YP have confronted has been designing merchandise for a round economic system, particularly with reference to plastics. There are occasions when plastic is the most suitable choice for packaging as a result of it permits for higher breathability and has obligatory light-blocking properties – each of which forestall meals waste. The model additionally is aware of that HDPE and LDPE are the most secure plastic meals storage containers accessible at present for meals contact. Nonetheless, Volm and YP perceive that they should constantly consider their product choices to work in the direction of extra sustainable packaging choices, and so the model turns to revolutionary design to constantly search much less dangerous choices.

One other problem Volm and YP anticipate is constructing sustainability into the corporate’s tradition. It’s simpler to construct an organization round sustainability than it’s to construct sustainability into an already current enterprise. Having 5 separate websites within the U.S. and one situated in Canada, all of which function very otherwise, makes the challenges extra unpredictable. To assist mitigate a few of these challenges, the model has chosen to measure every location individually by means of the GBB platform. Recognizing the one measurement suits all strategy doesn’t work, the corporate feels that independently scoring every website will enable the group to deal with sustainability efforts in a faster time-frame.

Regardless of these challenges, Volm and YP have made a number of progress. We’ve summarized this progress under, that’s, the enterprise has:

• Carried out an efficient recycling system at 5 places in Antigo and has begun monitoring waste diversion.
• Carried out common vitality audits to scale back total vitality demand and business-related emissions.
• Labored arduous in establishing a Volunteer Day without work coverage to encourage staff to present again to their communities.
• Written a Provider Code of Conduct to make sure the model is working with companies which have shared environmental values.
• Joined GBB and has achieved silver-green enterprise certification standing.

Volm and YP acknowledge that their sustainability journey has simply began, however by means of the robust and regular efforts of the model’s Inexperienced Group, the enterprise is assured they’ll attain their objectives.

“Volm Corporations’ mission assertion is that we exist to serve and construct up our clients, suppliers, communities, and one another. For Volm, sustainability then means extra than simply promoting merchandise that meet buyer sustainability wants, it means understanding our complete footprint and taking energetic measures to thoughtfully cut back that as an organization. Being conscious of our impression is just following our mission assertion” – Daniel Mueller, CEO of Volm Corporations and Yellowstone Plastics