Appleton Coated: Achieves Green Master award

Combined Locks, Wis. — Appleton Coated is one of a select group of companies to earn the designation of “Green Master,” the highest tier in the Green Masters Program established by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. As a Green Master, Appleton Coated has performed actions in each of nine sustainability areas and has scored in the top 20 percent of all participating companies.

“Appleton Coated has implemented creative strategies which define them as a leader in sustainability,” praises Tom Eggert, executive director of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. “Appleton Coated has made going green personal in terms of their strategy. They’ve adopted environmental and social programs that benefit their communities, employees and their customers.”

“Appleton Coated is honored to earn Green Master status under the Green Masters Program,” says Diane Ernst, environmental and market analyst at Appleton Coated. “It reaffirms our commitment to minimizing our impact and making sustainability a companywide culture-changing effort.”

Headquartered in Combined Locks, Wis., with more than 650 employees, Appleton Coated provides focused market leadership in the coated paper industry. The first coated mill to be FSC® certified in North America, the company has lowered overall energy usage, while increasing utilization of alternative energy. It has substituted biomass for 42 percent of its coal usage during the last three years as it seeks alternatives for fossil fuels.

Appleton Coated is a recognized innovator in environmental products, manufacturing paper with high post-consumer recovered fiber content being used by top brand owners in America. Ninety-nine percent of the paper leaving Appleton Coated is shipped with partner carriers that have the Environmental Protection Agency’s Smart Way designation — an industry benchmark.

“Since we live where we work, we actively pursue ways to reduce our environmental impact and preserve the environment for future generations,” adds Ernst.

Applicants to the Green Masters Program are judged on a comprehensive range of sustainability issues, from energy to water use to educational outreach and governance. More than 90 Wisconsin businesses are participating in the program where the top 20 percent achieve the highest “Green Master” designation.

For more information, or a complete list of Green Masters Program participants, go to: www.greenmastersprogram.com or www.bus.wisc.edu/knowledge-expertise.