WHY and WHAT Sustainability is at LGI

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WHY social + environment + continuous improvement

Every day great people within our Group find ways to reduce our environmental impact and improve the social impact we have on each other and our community.

At the Lauterbach Group, sustainability is not a bolt-on, flavor of the day program.  We do not have segmented teams; sustainable business is at the core of how we operate daily as a group.  Our system, the Lauterbach Productivity System, focuses on continuous improvement within our company to achieve environmental excellence, economic improvement and to improve the lives of our group members and community members.

Integrating practical, repeatable and sustainable business practices creates a positive ripple effect within our business, through our supply chain, to our clients and our community.  Sustainability creates a long-term value for each stakeholder we touch daily.

Our Group does not focus on a result; we focus on daily actions and activities that improve core operational blocks that deliver results.  Each day we strive to find ways to be better: be more efficient, be more timely and deliver better quality products.

Group Difference

Group DifferenceWe are obsessed with providing our group members a safe work environment, as well as providing opportunities to grow and improve through education and mentor programs.  Making a positive difference is the most important thing we can do for each other.  We also believe strongly that helping our community through contributing to programs like local special education services, high school educational scholarships and athletic programs as well as volunteering to centers like our local food pantries and contributing direct donations, however large or small, to organizations that help fight cancer or support families like the Ronald McDonald House.  Helping our community leaves a lasting impact on our world.

Environment

Values

Every day at our company, positive decisions are made to reduce and recycle water and energy.  Every day positive decisions are made to reduce raw materials consumption and production by-products, leaving our environment a better place today than it was yesterday.  These actions are not trendy, they are a way of life.

Continuous Improvement

Continuous ImprovementOur daily actions to reduce waste and spoilage of materials, logistic cost and redundant labor deliver economic value and speed to market for our clients.  We focus on reducing overhead costs that do not support the improvement of quality, delivery and service to our clients.  Our clients are why we are here, and we are obsessed with telling their stories through product packaging.

Every day we focus on continuously improving ourselves to better our group members’ lives, support the community that we work in and leave a smaller environmental footprint today than we did yesterday.

That is sustainability at the Lauterbach Group.

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New Recyclable Plastic Labels

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Avery Dennison, a top material vendor for the Lauterbach Group, has been developing a recyclable BOPP film that is certified with the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) as recyclable (see article here).  With this new product, we will be able to offer our more eco-conscious clients with an option to make their product’s recyclablity even higher.

At the Lauterbach Group, we sell a lot of BOPP labels.  BOPP stands for Biaxially Orientated PolyPropylene .  It is a type of plastic film that is extruded into sheets that are stretched, orientating the molecules in two directions, making the resulting material very versatile.  It can be stretched without losing it’s rigidity, has a high tear resistance, can withstand moderate temperatures, and can get wet.

BOPP’s big downfall is that it’s made out of plastic, a non-renewable resource.  Current statistics speculate that only about 9% of the world’s plastic actually gets recycled, the rest ends up mostly in landfills and our oceans.  Less than 30% of the PET plastic bottles that we use get recycled.  And for everything that we put into our recycling bins, only an estimated 50% can actually be recycled.  Let’s change that!

Tips for recycling plastic:

  • Most communities have recycling programs that will collect plastic numbers 1-7
  • Check for the recycling logo, some packages contain both recyclable and non-recyclable elements

  • There are lesser known 100% recyclable items like plastic hangers and laundry baskets
  • Other items like plastic baggies can be recycled through Store Drop-Off

This is all very new, but if you want to find out more information on the recyclable BOPP film for labeling, give us a call a the Lauterbach Group, 262-820-8100 or contact us via email at info@lauterbachgroup.com.

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PET vs. Paper Liner

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Which is better, a liner made of PET or paper?

The tide is shifting and PET liners are being used more than ever for the material that our printed labels are affixed to.  While PET (polyethylene terephthalate) liners are a byproduct of fossil fuel extraction and they require slightly more energy to produce, there are many advantages to using them over paper liners.

Economy

Compared to 40# paper,  1.2M PET is 48% thinner and 92 gauge PET is 60% thinner, allowing companies to put up to 21% and 27% more feet, respectively, on each  12″ OD roll.  This then translates to less packaging and potentially less transportation cost and a smaller footprint in warehouses.

Production

PET statistically has fewer breaks than it’s cousin paper liner and it can be run on machines at faster speeds, increasing overall application machine up-time and decreasing overall time to package, which always equals a cost savings.

Environmental

Again, while the PET liners (like most plastics) are technically made from fossil fuels, they do use less water (37% less) and less trees (47% less) to produce compared to paper liners.  PET production also outputs slightly less green house gases and creates less solid waste than paper.

If you are thinking about switching liners, need pricing or guidance through the process, contact us for more information via email or phone at 262-820-8100.  As always, we can also provide samples to help you compare your options.

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Labels and Packaging Has to Be Flexible and Innovative

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As we continue to move forward through this post COVID-19 environment, pressure sensitive labels, shrink sleeve labels and flexible packaging need to be flexible and innovative more than ever to deliver value results for our clients.

We are working very hard to improve our speed, flexibility and agility for our clients so they can take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace.  Whether it is improvement in personal service, project design, innovative materials and decoration options, backed by leading edge technology, our goal is to provide our clients the highest quality and most innovative label and packaging products in less time with lower overall cost and do so in a sustainable manner.

Factors we focus on to deliver innovative products with speed and agility include:

  • Color accuracy, color consistency and color monitoring are critical to ensure the best product presentation on the shelf.
  • The use of color is more important to brands than ever before. This includes using a full gamut of color and using specialty fluorescent and metallic colors, as well as innovative spot varnishes to bring impact to a package.
  • The use of innovative materials including specialty papers, metalized films, holographic films and biodegradable materials are becoming important in gaining commercialized success in the supply chain.
  • Sustainable and eco-friendly products reduce overall waste in material, time and energy. We are focusing on our carbon emissions, lowering our energy cost and finding ways to reduce, reuse or recycle materials and supplies at every step of our production process.
  • Product life cycles are shorter than ever. In 1985 the average product life cycle was 2.5 years, today that life cycle is around a half a year. Speed to market it critical within the supply chain.
  • Customers are lowering inventory levels to reduce overall costs. Traditionally, packaging was purchased 2 to 3 time within a year. Today, we help clients increase their inventory turns to 10 to 14 times a year, and lower product obsolescence.
  • Labels and packaging are moving from mass production to mass customization. Brands are increasing the number of annual product promotions.
  • Packaging has to stand out, today there are over 48,000 SKUs within a average grocery store.

Using our OmniMark Management System we are able to help client visualize art designs, materials, decoration processes such as foils, metallic inks, specialized laminates and varnishes which create unique packaging concepts to show off a product. All of these innovative ideas can be used with pressure sensitive labels, shrink sleeve labels and flexible packaging products.

To find out more or get a quote on an innovative material mentioned above, give us a call!  262-820-8100 or info@lauterbachgroup.com

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Sustainable Packaging

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We believe that sustainable packaging is critical and has never been more important. We believe that container materials will continue to move from virgin plastic to alternative and sustainable materials such as fiber, glass, aluminum or post-consumer recycled plastics. These packaging trends are not a good thing, they are a great thing and is simply a necessity.

These trends do not come without challenges. These challenges include knowledge and technical ability to develop new materials and the ability to manufacture these materials in a cost effective manner. Then there is the ability to process these materials through the printing and converting process, which in some cases requires new production methods or even require package printers and converters to purchase new equipment.

The focus on new and innovative packaging materials, recycling processes and manufacturing improvement in processing, as well as new equipment are making real positive impacts on reducing total volume of packaging material into the waste streams. The ability to focus and choose packaging materials based on the impact on water, energy and solid waste disposal require commitment and innovation.

We believe that everyone wants more sustainable and green options in the market. The markets are pushing for cost effective solutions to support their sustainable and commercial goals. We believe there are four factors to focus on to drive sustainable packaging into the market:

  1. Working with the supply chain to source 100% certified reclaimed paper and plastics which are used in our paper pressure sensitive label products and single source packaging products.  It supports the closed loop economy.
  2. Find ways to divert release liner and label matrix away from the landfill, better yet – eliminate both from the supply chain, thereby reducing material cost.
  3. Continuously implement process improvement to reduce spoilage and time, which directly impacts the energy used and waste created by our company. Further, continue to examine and implement ways to use renewable sources of fuel.
  4. Work with the supply chain to find innovative packaging technology within the label, shrink sleeve label and the flexible packaging environment. These innovations should be focused on reducing the material content of the packaging and identify materials that are easily recyclable.
Heating pellets made from recycled label material

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