WI Sustainable Business Council
Tom Eggert
Executive Director
tom@wisconsinsustainability.com, 608-279-8608
Appleton Coated
Jenni Birkholz
Marketing & Communications Director
jbirkholz@appletoncoated.com
920-687-3475
Madison, Wis. (March, 2017) – The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council has named Appleton Coated a Green Professional within its Green Masters Program. Recognizing sustainable actions by businesses from across the state of Wisconsin, the Green Masters program works to identify businesses that have taken at least one action within each of the nine pillars of ‘sustainability’. Participants in the program (almost 200 in calendar year 2016) receive recognition for their sustainability accomplishments and develop ideas for future sustainability actions.
Contributing to its 2016 Green Master Award, Appleton Coated continues to expand its sales of products made from high levels of post-consumer recycled fiber (PCRF). The company’s 2015 recycled fiber usage was generated from over 80,000 tons of post-consumer waste paper.
“Sustainability and improving our environmental impact are key objectives for Appleton Coated,” says Jenni Birkholz, senior marketing specialist for sustainability. “We are committed to continual improvements within our facility and in our products. We also make it easy for our customers to choose environmentally-friendly papers by offering responsible sourcing, high PCRF products and products made with Green-e® certified green power through the purchase of renewable energy credits (RECS).”
The Green Masters Program is an objective, points-based recognition and assessment program that enables Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and from any sector to join a group of like-minded companies that are on the road to sustainability. The program has established three levels of participation: Green Apprentice, Green Professional, and Green Master. Appleton Coated joined the program as a Green Master in 2011. Each year at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference, the top 20 percent of companies that applied during the calendar year are identified and recognized as the Green Masters level companies for the year.
“I am honored to recognize Appleton Coated as one of only 7 companies in the state that have been recognized as Green Master level companies for 6 or more years,” said Tom Eggert, executive director or the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. “The Green Masters Program serves to support and draw attention to our state’s sustainability leadership companies, and Appleton Coated is clearly one of those companies. They serve as an example to both other companies in the paper sector, and also to companies from other sectors from across the state. We are fortunate to have them here in Wisconsin.”
Appleton Coated is a manufacturer and distributor of coated, uncoated, specialty and technical papers sold under the Ethos®, Utopia®, and other brand names. The company’s products are used in high-end commercial printing, textbook publishing, label papers, transactional printing and a variety of specialty and custom applications. Selling through a chain of highly respected paper distributors, the company serves corporations, publishers, printers, converters, and graphic designers in North America. Since 1889, Appleton Coated has been headquartered in Combined Locks, Wisconsin. Learn more about Appleton Coated at www.AppletonCoated.com. The first North American coated paper mill to be Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certified (FSC® C007796), Appleton Coated maintains ISO 14001 certification. It is recognized by the WWF for its environmental transparency by participating in the WWF Environmental Paper Company Index (EPCI) which recognizes transparency and continual improvement of participants and also in 2016 received the WWF Environmental Paper Awards 2016 (Category “Striving for Continual Improvement”) for screening the forest, climate, and water footprint of selected paper products with WWF’s Check your Paper Method. It is an 8 year Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay® Transport Partner and 2015 SmartWay Excellence Award Winner. It is a member of the EPA Green Power Partnership® since 2011 and named to the National Top 100 in 2014, 2015, and 2016. It is one of 7 Green Tier II companies recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as having exceptional environmental management systems in place.
The WI Sustainable Business Council is a network of Wisconsin businesses that are leaders in integrating principles of sustainability into business operations. The business case for sustainability (defined in terms of people, planet and profit) has never been stronger. Wisconsin businesses are playing a leadership role in not only ensuring the protection and preservation of our natural resources but in creating a vibrant and growing economy. The Council provides best-in-class sustainability resources and brings businesses together to share knowledge, experiences and tools. Find us on the web at www.wisconsinsustainability.com
