Proteus Packaging Receives SFI and FSC Chain-of-Custody Certifications Linking Its Paperboard to Responsibly Managed Forests

MILWAUKEE, WI, January 20, 2011 (Press-News.org) Proteus Packaging, an international supplier of paperboard packaging solutions, announced today it has obtained chain-of-custody certifications under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as part of the company's robust corporate responsibility initiative.

The SFI and FSC certifications enable Proteus to offer clients packaging materials that have been traced to responsibly managed woodlands. In doing so, the company is helping to support timber practices such as responsible harvesting, protecting endangered species and biodiversity and addressing social issues. Both SFI and FSC , two of the leading forest management organizations in North America, rely on third-party audits to ensure continued compliance with their extensive criteria.

"We're finding that a growing number of marketers have made the responsible use of resources a key component of their business plan," said Paul Nowak, the company's general manager. "By offering packaging materials made with certified fiber, we're able to help them meet these important goals in a direct way."

The two certifications are a significant development in Proteus' rapidly expanding corporate responsibility program, recently branded "P5 Sustainability" (which stands for Proteus Packaging, People, Planet, Profits). In addition to promoting responsible paperboard sourcing, the broad-based initiative is based on the following key goals:

• Energy conservation - Proteus designed its 245,000-square-foot facility with automated lighting fixtures, insulation that exceeds code and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system. The company also retrofitted equipment to reduce energy usage and lower maintenance costs.

• Promoting clean air and water - The company uses low-VOC inks and coatings in its packaging operations and installed a litho water system to re-circulate and clean its process water.

• Reuse and recycling - Proteus recycles all of the chemicals and oils used in its operations and employs an advanced air scrap system that retrieves 100 percent of paperboard waste. The organization also recycles metal from all ink cans, banding, baling wire, steel drums and sheet aluminum.

• Minimizing material usage - The Proteus engineering team works with marketers to design innovative packaging concepts that require less raw material without sacrificing functionality

"Looking at the future of our industry, it's clear that protecting vital resources and achieving profitable growth will go hand in hand," Nowak said. "We're confident the expansion of our corporate responsibility initiative will not only benefit the environment but contribute to our long-term success as a business."

Proteus Packaging (www.proteus-packaging.com) is an ISO-compliant, cGMP- and AIB International-certified provider of packaging solutions for pharmaceutical, consumable food, nutritional, health and beauty and automotive clients. A privately owned company based in southeast Wisconsin, Proteus Packaging has grown from a regional business to an international supplier with expertise meeting the complex needs of high-volume manufacturers. A leader in responsible packaging, the company holds chain-of-custody certifications through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council.