Washington — Mold maker and molder Minco Group is the first company to achieve Zero Net Waste honors under the Society for the Plastics Industry Inc.'s newest sustainability program.
Dayton, Ohio-based Minco Group is made up of Minco Tool & Mold Inc. and injection molder All Service Plastic Molding (ASPM). Minco is 44th among Plastics News's most recent ranking of mold makers, with 90 employees and an estimated $11.9 million in 2014 sales.
Under the program, Minco so far has diverted 88 percent of its manufacturing waste from the landfill by volume, and 46 percent by weight. The company is projecting the new recycling efforts will result in $20,000 in revenue for 2017.
The self-reporting Zero Net Waste program requires companies to meet qualification and verification requirements that demonstrate their goals for pursuing zero waste. Participants must analyze their landfill-bound trash, set facility or companywide recovery goals and educate employees on sustainability efforts. Companies are asked to submit information annually for ongoing verification and those certified by Washington-based SPI can use the Zero Net Waste program logo.
“I lead sustainability efforts that are member-driven,” said SPI's senior director of recycling and diversion Kim Holmes, who launched the program earlier this year. “I know that our duty goes far beyond end-product recycling; it's about reducing waste throughout the life cycle of making plastics.”