Sustainability In Packaging

According to the EPA, the US produces more than 82.2 million tons of municipal solid waste each year which amounts to more than 28% of the total waste produced annually. While some types of packaging are readily recyclable, over 1/3 of the 82.2 million tons ends up in landfills. With packaging comprising such a large part of the waste produced and subsequently landfilled, our goal at Felins is to provide unique, sustainable packaging solutions which reduce the amount of packaging waste when compared to traditional packaging alternatives.

MISSION STATEMENT

Sustainable product packaging is our passion. We’re inspired to create innovative alternatives because every packaging decision should help, not hurt, our planet.

MINIMIZING PACKAGING MATERIALS

Felins’ specialty in the world of conservation (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) is in Reducing packaging mass. All of our packaging alternatives involve a significant reduction in packaging mass (up to 95%) and a significant positive impact on the bottom line for our customers. We focus on packaging technologies that inherently unitize and label with minimal packaging materials required with options such as banding, strapping, rubber banding, tying and stretch film banding. When compared to traditional forms of packaging such as bags, boxes, void fill, etc. we are able to significantly reduce the need for packaging materials while still keeping products safe.

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING MATERIALS

In addition to reducing packaging mass, we work hard to provide materials which support a circular economy. Examples include:

Compostable plastic films which break down over time
Paper banding materials that are fully pulpable and easily recyclable in nearly any municipal recycling stream
FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) certified materials that can be tracked back to the forests where the trees were harvested (and sustainably managed)
Films that are injected with air bubbles to minimize the amount of resin required
Packaging materials which contain post-consumer waste

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING EQUIPMENT

We don’t stop thinking about sustainability with the materials that are applied to products. We also apply a circular economy mindset to the design of our equipment and how we offer it to our customers. Below are a few initiatives that we are particularly proud of:

Machine rebuilds: Instead of discarding old equipment, we are continuously working with customers to upgrade old machine electronics, repair damaged machinery and find a new home for machines that might not be needed for projects that have been completed.
Machine rentals: Sometimes a packaging project only lasts a couple of months due to seasonality or shifting consumer trends. We have a dedicated fleet of rental machines to allow our customers to quickly shift their packaging capabilities.
Energy consumption: We are continuously looking for technologies to help us reduce the energy needs of our equipment. If you compare our ultrasonic banding machines to shrink film machines (a common bundling alternative to ultrasonic banding), the reduction in energy is significant. The use of an ultrasonic banding machine can reduce electrical charges by 98% when compared to a typical shrink film machine.

INITIATIVES INSIDE FELINS

Entire Company Goes Paperless
- 14,705+ pounds of paper have been eliminated since tracking began in 2015
No More Foam
- We have eliminated the use of all Styrofoam based products from our operations including foam cups and foam packaging materials
No Bottled Water
- We have installed in-line water filtration systems to eliminate the need for water bottles or reusable cooler jugs and the related transportation impact
- All employees receive a stainless steel reusable tumbler and reusable straw
- All company visitors and guests are served coffee or water in custom Felins mugs or real glassware instead of water bottles or disposable cups
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- We have provided reusable cups for coffee, espresso, and water for all employees to reduce the need for single-use cups. We also reuse packaging materials whenever possible to reduce the packaging materials needed to ship our products
- We have installed energy-efficient temperature controls and lighting to reduce power and energy consumption and costs
- All Corrugated Cardboard, Paper, Plastic, and Metal is recycled including metal from our manufacturing operation

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