WS Packaging Group, Inc. ®

- Algoma facility recognized for leading sustainability practices in the narrow-web industry -

WS Packaging Group has earned the Label Initiative for the Environment (L.I.F.E.) certification at its Jefferson Street plant in Algoma, Wis., from the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute (TLMI). The L.I.F.E. program is an audited sustainability certification process tailored specifically to the narrow-web printing and converting industry and is comparable to ISO 14001 certification requirements.

The L.I.F.E. certification establishes operation metrics and process improvements that enable printing companies to determine cost-effective ways to reduce their environmental impact and share this commitment with their customers.

“Our company-wide sustainability program encourages us to continuously improve our own environmental initiatives, as well as continuously enhance the sustainable packaging options we offer to brand owners,” said Terry Moede, corporate director of environment and safety for WS Packaging. “Our customers are increasingly being asked, or mandated, to evaluate the sustainability of their packaging. Having the third-party L.I.F.E. certification proves to them that we uphold the highest sustainability standards in the industry and can provide documentation to meet their chain-of-custody requirements.”

WS Packaging has implemented several processes and procedures to reduce waste and energy consumption throughout all of its locations. The Algoma facility was the first WS Packaging location to achieve the L.I.F.E. certification, through extensive documentation and a two-day audit. The company is pursuing L.I.F.E. certification at several of its other plants and is currently awaiting individual audits scheduled for the coming year.

WS Packaging Group, Inc., with more than 40 years of experience, is one of the largest printing and label converting operations in North America. It operates 17 manufacturing facilities and produces high-quality packaging products. Its customers range in size from small businesses to large, high-volume manufacturers and consumer product goods companies doing business locally, nationally, and in marketplaces worldwide. WS Packaging Group is majority owned by J.W. Childs Associates, L.P. (JWC), a private equity firm based in Boston, Mass., investing in middle-market growth companies. Since 1995, JWC has invested in over 40 companies, with a transaction value of more than $12 billion.