by Scott Pillsbury | Nov 20, 2018 | Beer Wine Spirits, Company News, Environmental Green, Label News
Rose City Label Recognized with TLMI Environmental Leadership Award for 2018
Rose City Label won the Environmental Leadership Award at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the top label printers in America. This Environmental Leadership Award is given annually to one printer and one supplier based on judging 
the association environmental community. The award recognizes specific programs, demonstrated results, and a cultural commitment to the environment. We are very honored to join the list of past winners and we will never stop on our eco-friendly journey. This year, the awards were renamed in honor of Calvin Frost – a true environmental leader in the printing industry. There is nothing better than a cold frosty beer from our customer in the commemorative ‘Frosty 2018’ mug.
Results Matter
Trying hard and having commitment are important, but for the TLMI Environmental Leadership Award, results matter:
- Five Year Water Reduction of 47%
- Five Year Natural Gas Reduction of 43%
- Small reductions in Garbage and Electricity as well
All measures are indexed to manufacturing output as our business has grown considerably in the past 5 years. Complete details and annual graphs of these measures can be found in this blog post.
Small Things that Every Business Can Apply
Besides these dramatic results, the committee was impressed with the programs and projects the company has championed. These include:
- Encouraging employee bicycle commuting
- Providing excess pallets for employee home garden projects
- Recycling pallet wrap at the local supermarket
- Giving away excess pallets on Craigslist for local projects
- Shipping via direct courier service whenever possible
- Reusing items in the press room during production runs
More about these innovative programs can be found at these two blog posts click here for part 1 and click here for part 2.
Make Conscious Choices
The final area called out by the judges in this award was a leadership commitment to the environment. This philosophy is baked into the business so deeply that an employee recently lobbied for an electric car charging station – she knew it would align with our values (and with her new car), but also would provide marketing value and would contribute to this award criteria. All team members know we are focused on the environment. Some additional major indicators:
- Conversion to 100% wind power – read more here
- Water wash printing plates – among the first on the West Coast to adopt this system – read more here
- Monthly review of eco-metrics along with financial performance
Honoring the Label Eco-Legend – Calvin Frost
This award was particularly important to us since it was renamed in honor of our longtime friend and vendor, Calvin Frost. Calvin has been the voice of the sustainability movement for decades and his message is finally being heard far and wide in the industry. Calvin’s company, Channelled Resources, is basically one big recycling business. For over 40 years, the company has inspected and salvaged potentially damaged product. This stock would be destined for the landfill if his company didn’t take the time to sort and save the (large percentage) of this material.
Winning this award any year would be great, but to the first ever ‘Frosty’ award winner is even better!
Thank You – Call Us Today
We are ready to help others become more ‘green’. Any success we have is a team effort and we want to help you on your journey. Are you just getting started? Or need some pro-level tips? Please call us today. If you buy labels, that is fantastic, but we will help any business with a true desire to learn and grow in their eco-journey. Cheers!
by Scott Pillsbury | Sep 23, 2018 | Company News, Environmental Green
We are very proud of the good work we do to be an eco-friendly company. Our people care about the earth we share and they are proud to be a part of a company that considers the environment. Not all projects we start end up with dramatic results, but our eco-efforts certainly do. Over time, as we have measured and worked, the gains have piled up in all areas. Please contact us if you have questions.
Results – The Numbers Don’t Lie!
Once we were committed to the green business, we knew we needed to measure our results. Each month we measure these four eco-measures. These are indexed to our production – resources consumed per unit of production. Over the past five years, our business has grown considerably, so our absolute consumption has increased, but on a per unit of production basis, we have made fantastic gains. Check out these graphs!
Electricity – Down 3% since 2013
Water – Down 47% since 2013
Garbage – Down 7% since 2013
Natural Gas – Down 43% since 2013
Thank You! We appreciate all your support
We do this all for you, our amazing customers. Thank you for pushing us to do better every single day. We aren’t done yet – we will continue to work hard to make our company more and more eco friendly into the future. Are you on the same journey? Anything we can do to help? Please call us today, we would love to share more about our programs and the results we have achieved.
by Scott Pillsbury | Aug 22, 2018 | Environmental Green
Rose City Label Sustainability – Part 2
We love being a GREEN company. Our customers can feel good about partnering with a leader in this area. Rose City Label Sustainability is woven into each part of our business and we live this out on a daily basis. Call us if you have any questions. We love helping others with their sustainability journey.
Free Pallets – Upcycling for Good
We generate excess pallets each month. Typically we buy material in large bulk rolls and sell small, custom label orders shipped via courier or UPS. Even with our staff projects, we can’t use up all these pallets internally. We shared this on social media, and now all our pallets are given away to neighbors for reuse. Read more by clicking here.
Reuse Trash as Shipment Padding
Waxed paper sheets separate rolls of adhesive label stock. This ‘slip sheet’ prevents rolls from sticking together. Wax coating makes these hard to recycle, so we use the sheets to pack our boxes going out to customers. The label rolls are clean and protected. Our customers are happy we can reuse this packaging to save money and the earth. Read more by clicking here.
Local Vendors and Courier Service
Whenever possible, we use small, local vendors for parts and supplies. This personal touch helps us stay up and running with responsive service for customers. And, we are supporting the local economy. Read more by clicking here. We also use a local delivery service for most shipments in the Portland area. Again, we are supporting a local company, but we also get faster deliveries to our customers. And, having our labels delivered by small, private auto is always better than a large industrial truck taking the labels back to a central hub to sort and deliver the following day. Our local courier partner is Direct Transport – learn more about them by clicking here.
Rose City Label Sustainability Summary – A Way of Life and Business
This is only part ONE! Hopefully this commitment is as important to you and your company as it is to us. If you have questions, please contact us. We are happy to help our customers and friends on their green journey. Rose City Label Sustainability matters. We work hard to make our company better in many ways. Balancing people, profit and planet – that is how we roll!
by admin | Aug 22, 2018 | Environmental Green
Rose City Label Sustainability
Rose City Label Sustainability is a key part of our company culture. Everything we do has an eye toward sustainability and reducing our environmental impact. You can feel good partnering with a company that takes positive steps each day to make a smaller impact on our earth. Where you buy your labels is a reflection of YOUR sustainability focus, so please consider the environmental impact of your vendor selection along with price, quality and delivery time. Rose City Label Sustainability isn’t a program or a fad – it has been a core element of our philosophy from the beginning. These are just a few examples of how we are living out these values.
100% Wind Power!
100% wind sources power all our equipment. We had the option to purchase a fraction of our power, but like most things related to Rose City Label Sustainability, we went all in! Having 100% wind power is a visible statement to our employees and customers that we are all in – the earth matters to us. Read more by clicking here.
Water Wash Printing Plates
We were pioneers in this new printing plate technology. We etch our printing plates with soap and water. No more solvents in the process! The machine uses a very light detergent that increases the pH of the warm water slightly, but it is odor and chemical free. Plates are made faster and the print resolution is higher. It has been a great upgrade for us. Read more by clicking here.
Employee Projects to Reuse Pallets
Each quarter, we meet with our entire team to review our progress on our sustainability scorecard. We celebrate individual employee accomplishments like bicycle commuting, recycling at home, and reusing our excess pallets. In this post, we highlight a staff member that used old pallets to make garden planter boxes. Read more by clicking here.
Recycle Pallet Wrap with Local Grocery Store
Our label stock comes in on large pallets – plastic wrap protects the material on each delivery. This plastic is not recyclable using conventional methods like plastic, metal or glass. Since the composition of this plastic is similar to plastic grocery bags, we reached out to our local grocery store. Fred Meyer was happy to partner with us. We delivery bags of clear plastic film each week to be included with their plastic recycling program. This is diverting tons (literally) of plastic from the landfill! Read more by clicking here.
Summary – A Way of Life and Business
This is only part ONE! Hopefully this commitment is as important to you and your company as it is to us. If you have questions, please contact us. We are happy to help our customers and friends on their green journey. Rose City Label Sustainability matters. We work hard to make our company better in many ways. Balancing people, profit and planet – that is how we roll!
by admin | Jul 23, 2018 | Environmental Green
Rose City Label Sustainability
Rose City Label Sustainability is a key part of our company culture. Everything we do has an eye toward sustainability and reducing our environmental impact. You can feel good partnering with a company that takes positive steps each day to make a smaller impact on our earth. Where you buy your labels is a reflection of YOUR sustainability focus, so please consider the environmental impact of your vendor selection along with price, quality and delivery time. Rose City Label Sustainability isn’t a program or a fad – it has been a core element of our philosophy from the beginning. These are just a few examples of how we are living out these values.
100% Wind Power!
100% wind sources power all our equipment. We had the option to purchase a fraction of our power, but like most things related to Rose City Label Sustainability, we went all in! Having 100% wind power is a visible statement to our employees and customers that we are all in – the earth matters to us. Read more by clicking here.
Water Wash Printing Plates
We were pioneers in this new printing plate technology. We etch our printing plates with soap and water. No more solvents in the process! The machine uses a very light detergent that increases the pH of the warm water slightly, but it is odor and chemical free. Plates are made faster and the print resolution is higher. It has been a great upgrade for us. Read more by clicking here.
Employee Projects to Reuse Pallets
Each quarter, we meet with our entire team to review our progress on our sustainability scorecard. We celebrate individual employee accomplishments like bicycle commuting, recycling at home, and reusing our excess pallets. In this post, we highlight a staff member that used old pallets to make garden planter boxes. Read more by clicking here.
Recycle Pallet Wrap with Local Grocery Store
Our label stock comes in on large pallets – plastic wrap protects the material on each delivery. This plastic is not recyclable using conventional methods like plastic, metal or glass. Since the composition of this plastic is similar to plastic grocery bags, we reached out to our local grocery store. Fred Meyer was happy to partner with us. We delivery bags of clear plastic film each week to be included with their plastic recycling program. This is diverting tons (literally) of plastic from the landfill! Read more by clicking here.
Summary – A Way of Life and Business
This is only part ONE! Hopefully this commitment is as important to you and your company as it is to us. If you have questions, please contact us. We are happy to help our customers and friends on their green journey. Rose City Label Sustainability matters. We work hard to make our company better in many ways. Balancing people, profit and planet – that is how we roll!
by admin | Feb 16, 2018 | Environmental Green
Plastic Film Recycling
Rose City Label partners with a local grocery store to provide plastic film recycling. Each week we get roll stock in on pallets wrapped with plastic, but we had no good way to recycle the plastic film. We don’t have enough to interest our trash hauler, so much of it was going to the landfill.
Thank You Fred Meyer Stores
Because our local Fred Meyer stores collect plastic grocery bags at their store 
entrance, we contacted them about our pallet film recycling problem. They have the volume and infrastructure to recycle very large quantities of this film. They were happy to add our plastic film into their recycle mix. Thank you! They consolidate plastic bags and film from several stores and divert it to reuse projects like plastic totes and park benches. Our plastic film is just one small drop in the very large bucket of recycling that was already in place.
Ask Your Neighbors
Sometimes your best solutions are right next door. This Fred Meyer is a great local store that I have shopped at my whole life. The location where we drop off is only 6 blocks from our shop, and it is very easy to drop off a few bags of plastic pallet film every week. You never know what resources you have right in your neighborhood.
Be Creative
This solution didn’t come from a recycling manual or a seminar, just a crazy idea to ask the question. You never know if you don’t ask, so don’t be afraid to think of new solutions. As long as you are respectful and have a good intent, we have generally found that the partner companies you contact are open to your ideas.
Small Things Add Up
We have made many small changes in our business since we were first eco-certified by Clackamas County in 2008. Not all of them have worked, but they all add up over time. Here are a few of our eco wins over the past 10 years:
- Full kitchen with real plates, cups and utensils
- Bike friendly for employee transit
- Low flow toilet valves
- Electronic meeting handouts
- Battery, bulb, cartridge recycling
- Plastic pallet wrap recycling
- Pallet give away to employees for home projects
- Pallet give away to neighbors and schools
- 100% wind power
- Many more!
Not all of these have worked out for us, but we are always trying new things. Our entire team is engaged and they frequently come up with our best ideas for waste reduction. Try some of these yourself and see how they work in your business. And, as always, if you have questions, please call us today. We love helping other companies on their green journey.
