Blake Pace of Primex Plastics Corp. has been named a Sustainability Champion by the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership.
The program recognizes SGP community members for outstanding efforts in making the environment a better place to work and live, SGP officials said. They added that a Sustainability Champion "is committed to positive change, shows passion through leadership and exemplifies environmental stewardship and activism."
SGP is a nonprofit organization for sustainability certification in the printing industry. Member firms include 3M and Macy's.
Pace is the general manager of Primex's plant in Reedsburg, Wis., and is chairperson of the firm's sustainability committee. In nominating Pace for the award, Primex executive assistant Teri Benning said that Pace "is a firm believer in responsible manufacturing."
She added that Pace's sustainability efforts include reuse and rework of pallet and packaging materials, assisting in the implementation of smart lighting programs, updating lighting to LED and adding sensors in many locations so that lighting is automatically adjusted based on occupancy.
Pace has aided customers with methods and resources to deal with their plastic waste, which has resulted in thousands of pounds of plastic waste staying out of the landfills, officials said. He's also implemented policies and procedures to divert hundreds of thousands of pounds of internal reclaim annually from the waste stream.
Locally, Pace has participated in community events, including sponsoring Reedsburg's Concerts in the Park, fundraising for the local nursing home and giving back to local EMS, fire and police departments.
"We are proud of Blake and his achievements in sustainability at Primex," company officials said.
Primex is a major sheet extruder based in Richmond, Ind. The firm ranked 17th in Plastics News' most recent ranking of North American film and sheet makers, with sales for 2020 estimated at $600 million.