Green Bay Packaging Opens Two New Employee Health and Wellness Clinics

Green Bay Packaging opens two new employee health & wellness clinics in Arkansas and Michigan.

Green Bay, Wisconsin, August 30th, 2023 – Green Bay Packaging Inc. (GBP) is opening two new Health and Wellness Clinics for its employees in the Morrilton, AR and Kalamazoo, MI areas. GBP is entering into a partnership with Marathon Health to provide a wide range of healthcare to its employees and their dependents. The clinic in Kalamazoo is set to open on August 30th, with the Morrilton clinic following in October 2023. These clinics will expand its health clinic network to support over one-third of its 4,500+ employees and their families.  

The GBP clinics will provide a wide range of medical care services, including acute care, chronic disease management, annual physicals, injury treatment and first aid, lab services, and immunizations. In addition, there will be an onsite Nurse Coach for employees for face-to-face guidance on a range of topics, including nutrition and management of health conditions.

“In addition to the ‘traditional healthcare’ benefits we provide to our employees and their families, we are proud to provide these additional healthcare services at no cost,” says Bryan Hollenbach, GBP Executive Vice President. “GBP has the opportunity to provide a stronger and more convenient network of care to our employees and their families as a result of these clinics.”

In Kalamazoo, GBP is joining forces with Continental Linen Service, and Schupan & Sons Inc. to offer a shared employer clinic that will provide an outstanding patient experience, including the nearly 200 GBP employees and their dependents.

In Morrilton, the new Health and Wellness Clinic will reside in the historic Adams Building in the city’s downtown. The building was restored in 2020, returning it to its 1930’s façade. GBP will modify the main interior space to support patient care, while keeping the building’s historic elements and original charm. This clinic will open in October 2023 to serve over 600 GBP employees and their families. Look for additional announcements on the grand opening in Morrilton.

“Our mission is to partner with employers to make it easier for their team members to access the quality care they deserve,” says Marathon Health Co-Founder and CEO Dr. Jeff Wells. “Our proven primary care model delivered through employers has the power to transform healthcare in this country, and we’re excited to serve the incredible employees of Green Bay Packaging on their wellness journey.” GBP currently operates two health and wellness clinics in the Green Bay, WI area that support 850 employees and their dependents, and continuously looks for opportunities to provide support for its employees, their families, and their health. GBP is proud to be able to expand its offering of health and wellness care with the addition of these new health clinics in Kalamazoo and Morrilton.

About Green Bay Packaging Inc.

Started in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family owned, vertically integrated company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin containerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, timberlands, a paper slitting operation, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging Inc. employs over 4,600 team members and operates 41 facilities in 16 states, each with a dedication to innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com.

About Marathon Health

Marathon Health simplifies healthcare for employers by combining independent primary care with value-driven population health management to deliver healthier members and meaningful savings. Marathon Health is a five-time Modern Healthcare Best Places to Work in Healthcare winner and a three-time Best in KLAS winner for its excellence in Worksite Health Services. Founded in 2005, Marathon has 280+ health centers in 43 states, 1.2M+ members, 900+ world-class providers and clinicians, and a 97% client retention rate. For more information, please visit www.marathon-health.com.

Green Bay Packaging Opens a New Employee Health and Wellness Clinic 

Green Bay Packaging Health & Wellness clinic powered by Marathon Health.

Morrilton, Arkansas – August 16, 2023 – Green Bay Packaging Inc. (GBP) is excited to announce the opening of a new Health and Wellness Clinic for our employees in the Morrilton, AR area. We are entering into a partnership with Marathon Health to provide a wide range of healthcare services to our employees and their families. The clinic is planned to open in October 2023.

The GBP clinic will provide a wide range of medical care services, including acute care, chronic disease management, annual physicals, injury treatment and first aid, lab services, and immunizations. In addition, there will be an onsite Nurse Coach for employees for face-to-face guidance on a range of topics, including nutrition and management of health conditions.

“We are proud to provide our employees and their families with this additional health benefit,” says Matt Szymanski, Vice President of Mill Operations. “We have a unique opportunity to offer free healthcare services to over 600 employees and their dependents with the new clinic in Morrilton.”  

The new Health and Wellness Clinic will reside in the historical Adams building in downtown Morrilton.  The building was restored in 2020, returning it to its 1930’s façade. GBP will modify the main space to support patient care while keeping the building’s historic elements and original charm.

GBP continues to look for opportunities to provide additional support to our employees and their health. We are thrilled to be able to expand our offering of health and wellness care with this new health clinic. Look for future updates regarding the grand opening and opportunities to see the space.

About Green Bay Packaging Inc.  

Started in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family owned, vertically integrated company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin containerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, timberlands, a paper slitting operation, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, GBP employs over 4,600 team members and operates 38 facilities in 16 states, each with a dedication to innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

GBP’s New Folding Carton Division Expansion

Green Bay Packaging has long been a champion of the environment.

That commitment to sustainability was front and center during one of its latest improvements — the folding carton addition.

“The building’s addition reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability,” said Molly Haack, senior marketing specialist with C.D. Smith Construction, the general contractor on the project. “With the help of the Focus on Energy program for design assistance, we incorporated sustainable features, such as energy-efficient doors and windows.”

Green Bay Packaging is a vertically integrated paperboard manufacturing company that operates 38 divisions in 17 states with a global presence in Mexico and Canada. Headquartered in Green Bay, the company has more than $2 billion in annual sales and over 4,000 employees.

With the folding carton addition, the two primary goals were to increase production and storage capacity and to enhance the work environment. Offices feature floor-to-ceiling windows for natural light and a gym with state-of-the-art equipment.

The project presented many challenges for C.D. Smith’s team.

“Due to the grades of the site, stormwater management, and the existing structure, the new addition’s finished floor needed to be 2 feet higher than the existing building,” Haack said. “We constructed a ramp inside the addition to effectively erase the height difference so employees can easily move between the two buildings.

“We also encountered a delay in receiving the building’s roofing materials, but we overcame it by adjusting the project’s schedule. Despite kicking off the project at the height of the pandemic, we were fortunate not to experience any additional supply chain issues.”

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

To learn more about the project from the original source, click here

Learn more about the Folding Carton Division here

Green Bay Packaging’s Green Bay Mill Division Leads Water Stewardship

From left to right: Bob Mihalski, Director of Mill Sales, Trades and Continuous Improvement, Lisa Bauer-Lotto, MS. Corporate Director, Environment & Sustainability, William Cone, Vice President and General Manager Green Bay Mill Division, Andrew Stoub, Environmental Manager

For strategic growth, Green Bay Pack­aging Inc. (GBP) constructed a new 100% recycled paper mill in Green Bay that uses recycled old corrugated containers (OCC) and mixed office paper to produce paper used to make packaging and boxes. The new mill was a substan­tial investment, not just in the productive capacity of the mill and quality of our products, but importantly in the compa­ny’s sustainability efforts. It reflects fidelity to GBP’s deep heritage of environmen­tal stewardship and its commitment to an environmentally sustainable future.

We are seeing a shift in customer and stakeholder interest toward increased sustainability attributes of their products and their desire to align with likeminded sustainable supply chain partners, like GBP. In a visible example of this interest, we have seen a blossom of tours by customers, other paper mills, supply partners, community and education stakeholders that wish to see first-hand the technology and advanced sustainability performance of the next level for papermaking at our Green Bay mill.

One of these industry leading advancements drawing attention is the mill’s use of “re­claimed” water and its circular water system, where municipal wastewater is recovered and treated by GBP for further reuse. A portion of the Green Bay mill make-up process water is piped from the municipal wastewater discharge (NEW Water) with additional treatment for continued use in our papermaking. The reclaimed wastewater replaces water volume that otherwise would be city’s freshwater (tap water) supply. A water system that fully counterbalances its freshwater demand through the use (and reuse) of reclaimed water is known as a “net zero” water system. The GBP Green Bay mill is the first in the world to achieve third-party validation as a net zero water operation, by United Laboratories (UL). In 2022 alone, the water saving innova­tion of the circular reclaimed water system and advanced technology reduced use of water from Lake Michigan by more than 200 million gallons. It resulted in 30% less water use per ton of paper production.

Paper mills are water intensive and high­ly reliant on water sourcing which, makes net zero water use in a papermill setting a seminal achievement. Water as the lifeblood of papermaking, transports the paper fiber through the papermaking process, with the paper starting as 99% water and 1% fiber and the final product consisting of approx­imately 8% moisture. GBP chose to be more water resilient with reclaimed water use and avoid the need for any direct intake or dis­charge to the adjacent Fox River. In addition to the efficiency gains and the importance of water stewardship to the company, it was a key decision for the long-term strategy of the mill sustainable water program to incorporate reclaimed water due to the increasing regulatory uncertainty in this area. Attributed to water treatment removal efficiencies, our reclaimed water system has resulted in 64% less BOD and 73% less TSS per ton of paper pro­duction. Using an alternative (reclaimed) water supply also benefits the shared local water resource, protecting water quality.

Paper is a sustainable product of nature sourced from responsibly managed forests. The trees are grown and nurtured like a crop in tree farms. Paper is renewable, recyclable and wood fiber regenerative. The forests have sustainable green attributes during the years of growth absorbing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (carbon sequestration) and in final products (carbon storage). For the corrugated packaging industry to remain sustainable we rely on virgin wood fiber inputs; without virgin fiber from trees recycled fiber (paper) would not exist. Boxes can be recy­cled about seven times– seven lives!

Advancing water stewardship of paper mill water systems pays homage to the Kress family’s vision, starting with its founder George Kress. The Green Bay mill was the first in the world to have a closed process-water-loop in the early 1990s and was featured in a National Geographic article on The Magic of Paper, March 1997. In 2022, the GBP Green Bay mill was recognized for sustainable circularity and water stewardship on many levels to include the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council’s 2022 Sustainable Product of the Year, Clean Water Action Council award to Will Kress as Environmental Citizen of the Year and American Forest and Paper Association peer industry award for Leadership in Sustainability.

The success of any good sustainability investment for change should be measured not in awards re­ceived but in gallons, energy, and waste. The overall sustainability performance of the mill investment has reduced impacts by 25% less greenhouse gas, 12% less energy, 30% less water and 33% less waste per ton paper production. These reductions are assurance of GBP’s sustainability commit­ment on transformative manufacturing through product innovation, technology and pioneering ‘out-of-the box’ advancements into our products.

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

To learn more about our Green Bay Mill, click here. To learn more about our sustainability efforts, you can click here.

To view the digital Impact Magazine issue, click here

Green Bay Packaging Wins the 2022 Sustainable Product of the Year Award by the WSBC

WSBC awarding Green Bay Packaging with the 2022 Sustainable Product of the Year award

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council (WSBC) is proud to announce the 2022 Sustainable Business Award winners. These awards celebrate recipients that demonstrate cutting-edge environmental, social, and governance leadership and recognizes them for being leaders in their industry and community. The winners exhibit leadership, initiative, and innovation and make measurable impacts across their businesses and the communities they serve.

Jessy Servi Ortiz, Managing Director of WSBC, explains, “Businesses play a crucial role in delivering solutions to customers and markets. These awards recognize Wisconsin businesses for delivering value through sustainable integration and driving sustainable adoption and innovation in the market.” 

The 2022 Sustainable Business Award Winners are:

  • Sustainable Product of the Year: ContainerBoard Paper by Green Bay Packaging
  • Innovative Service of the Year: Printing using UV LED Curing Technology by Empire Screen Printing
  • Executive Sustainable Leadership: Chris Drees, President, Mercury Marine
  • Sustainable Champion: Scott Louks, Sustainability Manager, Mercury Marine

The Award finalists and winners were celebrated at the WSBC Sustainable Business Awards Reception at the US Venture building in Titletown, Green Bay, on November 15, 2022, at 5:00 PM.

A special leadership award is also given in honor of WSBC’s founder and executive director emeritus. The Thomas L. Eggert Leadership Forward Award recognizes Eggert’s legacy and countless contributions to the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Community. 

This year, the award was presented to LeeAnn Glover of American Family Insurance as an individual who has supported and contributed to growing and extending the network of sustainability in her organization and beyond.

For more information about the Awards Reception and WSBC Conference, visit: https://www.wisconsinsustainability.com/2022-conference

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

To learn more about Green Bay Packaging’s positive impact on surrounding areas click here

Fort Worth Division Awarded 2022 Environmental Industry of the Year

Green Bay Packaging Awarded 2022 Environmental Excellence Award

Honored for 13 consecutive years of regulatory compliance with the Clean Water Act and impressive environmental programming, Green Bay Packaging Inc. in Fort Worth has been named Industry of the Year in the City of Fort Worth’s annual Environmental Awards program.

The award was among several presented Thursday during the 2022 Environmental Excellence Awards. The awards have been handed out since 1999.

Fort Worth Water Director Chris Harder praised the winners for their commitment to environmental excellence and “leaving our areas of responsibility in better shape than when we started.”

“We are all in partnership together,” Harder said. “Congratulations to each of you on another year of success and achievement.”

Green Bay Packaging was also presented a Pollution Prevention Award for diverting more than 98% of facility waste from going to the landfill in 2021. Through reuse, recycling or recovery, the company diverted 7,251 tons out of 7,302 tons of waste generated.

Pollution Prevention Awards were also presented to Air Force Plant No. 4, Alcon Vision LLC., Hillshire Brands Haltom City plant, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Tyson Prepared Foods in North Richland Hills, and the Western Currency Facility.

Tarrant County College District was named winner of the Fort Worth Friendly Landscapes recognition award.

In all, 81 Fort Worth companies were honored for their compliance with wastewater regulations. Another 24 companies in six cities that contract with Fort Worth for industrial pretreatment services also earned recognition.

The City’s water utility sponsors the awards.

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

To learn more about Green Bay Packaging’s positive impact on surrounding areas click here

Green Bay Packaging Receives 2022 WDNR Recycling Excellence Award

Green Bay Packaging Wins 2022 WDNR Recycling Excellence Award

MADISON, Wis. – In honor of America Recycles Day, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announces the winners of the 2022 Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Awards.

The winning businesses, non-profits, schools and local governments demonstrate Wisconsin’s strong commitment to waste reduction and recycling through their projects and initiatives, overall program, innovation or special events.

The award recipients shared several reasons why waste reduction and diversion are important to them, including saving landfill space and resources, reducing pollution and promoting sustainability. But the resounding motivation was strengthening their community. Many of the winners conduct outreach, work closely with partners and provide valuable services for residents and local businesses.

Box-Me! (Innovation) – Box-Me! LLC is a minority-owned cardboard recycling business operating in the Milwaukee area. Started in 2021, Box-Me! specifically targets cardboard for collection and diverts 60 tons from landfills each month. The company brings a container to businesses, free of charge, for employees to dispose of broken-down, clean cardboard. Box-Me! estimates businesses could save 75% of their recycling and trash bills.

Bucket Ruckus (Overall Program) – Started with an idea from a group of UW-Stevens Point students and an advisor, Bucket Ruckus diverts organic waste from landfills using a curbside collection system. It partners with several local businesses to reduce environmental impact, including working with Curbwise to collect the five-gallon buckets from the curb and to deliver clean buckets to customers. Curbwise is bicycle-powered and operates year-round. Materials are aggregated and shipped in bulk to composters, including an urban mushroom farm.

City of Platteville (Special Events) – In 2021, the city of Platteville revamped its Spring Cleanup into a Spring Swap. Previously held in May around the end of the UW-Platteville school year, the event was moved to April and promoted as a free, city-wide yard sale. This allowed people to reuse items instead of discarding them. Volunteers were on-site to inspect items, help unload donations and load them into vehicles for new owners. Unclaimed clothing items were also donated to the local thrift shop.

Compost Crusader (Overall Program) – Compost Crusader has been active in southeastern Wisconsin since 2014 diverting food scraps from landfill disposal. It has focused on helping corporations, schools, special events, restaurants and residents create healthy composting habits. By providing curbside compost service and utilizing three different compost sites, Compost Crusader diverts over 200,000 pounds of food scraps and yard material from landfills per month.

Green Bay Packaging (Overall Program) – In 2021, Green Bay Packaging began the operation of a new Green Bay Mill, which is taking water, energy, greenhouse gas reduction and fiber recovery to the next level. The new operation is capable of accepting more types of recyclable paper and expanding market opportunities. The facility has achieved 98% landfill diversion through technology and investment and has reduced production waste by 30%.

Greener Bay Compost (Overall Program) – Greener Bay Compost is a two-person, family-run composting business with the goal to “make Green Bay a little greener every day.” Debuting in August 2021, its residential compost pick-up service has grown from 16 to 120 residential subscribers. The service also works with small businesses. Waste such as fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and eggshells are collected in five-gallon buckets and paper bags. At their compost site, these materials are converted into a nutrient-rich soil amendment, which they then reward to their subscribers, donate to worthy organizations and sell to the general public.

Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) (Innovation) – Lakeshore Recycling Systems’ new materials recovery facility in DeForest began operation in 2021 and utilizes circular design processing equipment. The revolving table recirculates recyclables and enables multiple chances at sorting compared to a traditional linear conveyor belt. The design also results in lower energy demand and increases teamwork, quality of baled materials and flexibility to adapt to changing recyclable material streams. The facility also offers DeForest and Windsor residents a new recycling drop-off site.

LaPointe Materials Recovery Facility (Overall Program) – Located on Madeline Island, the LaPointe Recycling Materials Recovery Facility developed a new vision for operations and customer service. Improvements include new signage and barrel design to reduce cross-contamination and make recycling easier, providing music onsite (such as Polka Saturdays) and sorting assistance for residents who need it. Through a partnership with a local church, the facility opened a secondhand store to divert usable household items and generate revenue for a local food pantry. Summertime tours, afterschool programs utilizing recycled paint and customer appreciation days are all used to educate residents and visitors that “if it arrives on the island, it has to be taken off the island.”

Milwaukee Area Technical College of Culinary Arts (Projects or Initiatives) – Utilizing an industrial composter, the Culinary Arts Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) has reduced the program’s landfill output by 70%. Finished compost is used in raised bed gardens and at the Mequon campus in the horticulture class. The compost also was used to grow heirloom garlic cooked by culinary students.

Nestlé USA (Overall Program) – Nestlé’s chocolate manufacturing facility in Burlington aims to send zero waste to landfills, and it utilizes circular economy concepts and partnerships to do so. Personal protective equipment from daily operations (including ear plugs, hair nets and face masks) is sent to create fireplace pellets. Cocoa bean sacks are reused, cocoa bean waste is sent offsite for composting and bean shells are used for garden mulch. Additionally, the facility sends salvageable food waste to a local farm for animal feed and liquid waste for composting.

Town of Vinland (Projects or Initiatives) – Vinland took on a six-month challenge to collect 500 pounds of plastic bags and plastic film from its residents. Information was provided to residents via the town website and mailings to encourage involvement. In total, 545 pounds were collected and sent to Trex, a company that awarded the town with a resin bench made from the plastic. The program successfully made residents aware of the benefit of recycling, and another six-month challenge is underway.

Village of Bayside Public Works Department (Overall Program) –Bayside, a Green Tier Legacy Community, is consistently working to become more environmentally friendly. Residents can drop off items at the village hall to be recycled or reused, such as eyeglasses, ink cartridges, cell phones and plastic bags. Bayside partners with Dream Bikes and Habitat for Humanity to repurpose items and collect logs after tree removal to be repurposed into building lumber, paper pulp or firewood. The village educates residents through a comprehensive collection guide, special events and online videos.

Congratulations to the 2022 Recycling Excellence Awards winners. View their full profiles and learn more about why waste reduction and diversion are important to them on the Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Awards webpage.

For more information on recycling in Wisconsin, visit the DNR’s What to Recycle in Wisconsin webpage.

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

To learn more about Green Bay Packaging’s positive impact on surrounding areas click here

BDC Awards Green Bay Packaging with 2022 Outstanding Innovation Award

Green Bay Packaging Awarded BDC Award
Left to right – Masood Akhtar (BDC), Matthew Szymanski (Green Bay Packaging), Wes Ward (Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture)

Green Bay Packaging Honored with Biorenewable Deployment Consortium’s Outstanding Innovation Award

Little Rock, Arkansas, November 15, 2022The Biorenewable Deployment Consortium (BDC) honored Green Bay Packaging with the 2022 Outstanding Innovation Award for their culture of innovation through partnerships.

“BDC is proud to honor Green Bay Packaging with its Outstanding Innovation Award,” said BDC President and Co-Founder, Masood Akhtar. “Green Bay Packaging is a great example of a company that has developed a rich culture of innovation and is willing to be first in the deployment of new processes that will add value to operations and make the company more competitive and sustainable.”

“It is an honor for us to be recognized by BDC. This award is special to us because we strive for a culture of innovation through partnerships focusing on creating inventive and economical solutions for our customers. We accept this award on behalf of our team who is dedicated to making Green Bay Packaging a leader in innovation,” said Matthew Szymanski, Vice President of Mill Operations, who received the award on behalf of Green Bay Packaging

About Green Bay Packaging
Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 38 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com.

About Biorenewable Deployment Consortium LLC
BDC assists with the deployment of leading-edge advanced biofuels, biochemicals, and bioproducts technologies that do not require any long-term subsidy making them more profitable and sustainable. Since its inception in 2006, BDC has been established as an unbiased and trustworthy international company for the forest products industry, chemical industry, service and technology providers, government, and academic institutions. BDC conducts unbiased due diligence, identifies end-users and off-takers, technology and service providers, and funding providers under its brokering partnership initiative. BDC provides webinars, writes articles, and holds an annual forum, which includes a tour of a pilot, demo, or commercial facility, all while providing networking opportunities. For more information, visit BDC at www.biorenewabledc.com.

To learn more about Green Bay Packaging’s positive impact on surrounding areas click here

Green Bay Packaging Achieves Green Master Status for 13th Consecutive Year

Green Bay Packaging Achieves Green Master Status For The 13th Year

Green Bay, Wis. (November, 2022)The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council has named Green Bay Packaging Inc. a Green Master within its Green Masters Program. Recognizing sustainable actions in businesses from across Wisconsin, the Green Masters program works to identify businesses that have taken at actions in each of the nine pillars of sustainability. Participants in the program receive recognition for their sustainability accomplishments and develop ideas for future sustainability actions. Green Bay Packaging has achieved the Green Master designation for its thirteenth consecutive year.

Green Bay Packaging (GBP) has incorporated sustainability into its strategic business plan and deployed it through widespread initiatives, technology, and innovation to take its sustainability efforts to the next level.

The new state-of-the-art, 100% recycled paper mill incorporates advanced recycling capacity, innovative energy efficiencies, and a circular reclaimed water system, which has so far resulted in significant reductions per ton of paper production of 30% less water, 33% less waste, 25% less greenhouse gas, and 12% less energy, all of which is expected to continue to improve. The mill, achieving the first-in-the-world net zero water use validation, is continuous testimony that GBP is a leader in water and environmental stewardship. In 2021, the Green Bay mill returned 23,000,000 more gallons to the Great Lakes than withdrawn, utilizing ‘reclaimed’ municipal wastewater to replace freshwater demand.

“The Green Bay mill investment in technology, product innovation and sustainability performance is an accelerator that demonstrates Green Bay Packaging’s commitment to sustainability within our operations and as a product value-add solution for our customers,” says corporate environment and sustainability director, Lisa Bauer-Lotto. 

Additionally, the zero waste to landfill initiative achieved 98% landfill diversion across all converting operations (in both within Wisconsin and nationally throughout the company), advancing recycling and beneficial use through upstream and downstream evaluation for product and material end-of-life solutions.

The Green Masters Program is an objective, points-based recognition, assessment benchmarking and certification program that enables Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and from any sector to join a group of like-minded companies working towards sustainability. The program has established three levels of participation: Green Apprentice, Green Professional, and Green Master. Green Bay Packaging joined the program as a Green Master in 2010. Each year at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference, the current top 20 percent of companies are identified and recognized as the Green Masters level companies and celebrated at WBSC’s Annual Sustainability Conference, which will be held this year on November 16th at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Green Bay Packaging is honored to have been part of the Green Masters program since its inception in 2010. The program reflects an important benchmark of progress alongside other likeminded Wisconsin businesses. Participation in the program has brought insight on alternative and mindful strategies for reducing the environmental footprint while increasing community and workforce engagement and welfare.

“The Green Masters Program is a tool for businesses to assess and develop their sustainability program, to benchmark against their industry and to receive a third party certification recognizing their achievements in sustainability,” says WSBC’s managing director, Jessy Servi Ortiz. “We are proud to have companies like Green Bay Packaging leading the way in Wisconsin.”

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc.

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com

To learn more about Green Bay Packaging’s positive impact on surrounding areas click here

AF&PA Recognizes Award-Winning Sustainability Projects

AF&PA Announces Award-Winning Sustainability Projects

5 member companies recognized for outstanding sustainability initiatives and new award for diversity, equity and inclusion.

WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) today announced its Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 Sustainability Award winners, which recognize exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry.

“This is the first year we are presenting awards in alignment with our new Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 sustainability goals and statement of principles on diversity, equity and inclusion,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock. “It is exciting to see examples of these goals in action. We are also pleased to present an award for our new category focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.”  

Better Practices, Better Planet is one of the longest standing sustainability initiatives for a U.S. manufacturing industry, established more than a decade ago. The sustainability award winners demonstrate the industry’s long-held commitment to improving practices to build a better planet.  

AF&PA congratulates the following winners: 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

International Paper: Fighting Period Poverty in Our Communities

Leadership in Sustainability – Circular Value Chain

WestRock Company: Sustainable Ready Meals: Turnkey Solution 

Leadership in Sustainability – Safety 

WestRock Company: Failing Safe: Shredder Cover

Leadership in Sustainability – Water Stewardship

Green Bay Packaging Inc.: Net-Zero Water Use at Green Bay mill 

Innovation in Sustainability 

Georgia-Pacific LLC: Juno Technology 

“Congratulations to the winners,” said AF&PA Board Chair and President and CEO of Georgia-Pacific Christian Fischer. “AF&PA’s Better Practices, Better Planet 2030 initiative guides our industry toward continuous improvement, and these awards demonstrate how we successfully are moving toward a bright and innovative future.”  

Visit afandpa.org/priorities/sustainability/sustainability-awards for videos of these award-winning projects. 

About Green Bay Packaging, Inc. 

Established in 1933, Green Bay Packaging Inc. is a family-owned, vertically integrated manufacturing company consisting of corrugated container plants, a folding carton facility, recycled and virgin linerboard mills, pressure-sensitive label roll stock plants, specialty converting operations, timberlands, and a sawmill facility. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wis., Green Bay Packaging is dedicated to the innovative development of its products and forestry resources, with a focus on safety, sustainability, quality, and continuous improvement throughout all 37 facilities in 16 states. For more information about Green Bay Packaging Inc., visit gbp.com 

To learn more about Green Bay Packaging’s positive impact on surrounding areas click here