A common sentiment shared at the end of the year is how quickly time passes. It’s no exception here at Petoskey Plastics. We charged straight into 2023, just as we have with 2024. Luckily, the new year brings the perfect time to reflect.
Early in 2023, we celebrated Earth Day by showcasing sustainability efforts made by our company and the plastics industry. We sent many of our customers Sustainability Scorecards and congratulated them on reducing their carbon footprints. Our annual Scorecards show customers how their sustainable plastic purchases have reduced carbon emissions and benchmark their contribution to CO2 savings. Our customers purchased 31,645,855 pounds of post-consumer recycled bag and film products in 2022. These purchases equated to 29,451,665 CO2e or 173,114,333 gallons of water saved.
We made some exciting announcements in 2023, as well. We announced our new high-speed disposable gown production line that our team specifically designed to manufacture gowns for the healthcare industry. They are competitively priced, Berry-compliant, and made in the USA. We allocated 10,000 square feet to gown production at our FDA-registered plant in Petoskey, MI.
We also shared the No Objection Letter we received from the FDA. The letter confirms the capability of our secondary recycling process to produce post-consumer recycled, linear low-density polyethylene (PCR-LLDPE) material that is suitable for food-contact applications. The PCR-LLDPE is intended for use up to 100% recycled content for articles in contact with Food Type VIII for frozen, refrigerated, and room temperature conditions.
On the topic of our recycling process, we filmed and released a plant tour of our Hartford City, Indiana, facility. The tour walks viewers through the recycling process, film and bag production, quality, and shipping. Our Hartford City plant is where we produce our recycled GreenPE® resin – H-RM-RE0012CL, which is third-party certified by SCS Global Services (SCS) with a minimum of 99% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Polyethylene. It is also home to our state-of-the-art wash line, where we produce our recycled resin for use in many of our Steelcoat® and Greencore® items.
Between press releases and video shoots, our HR teams worked hard to connect with the communities in which we operate. We held and attended career fairs in Petoskey, participated in a recruiting event in Muncie, IN, and the Texas Veteran Commission’s “Red, White, and You” hiring event.
Ahead of Veterans Day, we were recognized as a 2023 Veteran Business of the Year by the National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC). The award was given jointly to CEO and Chairman Paul Keiswetter and Petoskey Plastics. Each year, the NVBDC presents the award to a veteran-owned business that has exceeded industry standards and has had significant growth through the additional creation of jobs. Award winners also show their commitment to social responsibility and exemplify strong community involvement while achieving overall impressive business performance. This award coincided with our ranking as Michigan’s 6th largest veteran-owned company, as ranked by Crain’s Detroit Business.
In the fourth quarter, we recognized our associates for two reasons. The first was on November 11, Veterans Day, where we acknowledged and thanked Petoskey Plastics veterans for their military service. Last year, we recognized the 38 veterans on our team who served our country – 1 Air Force veteran, 20 Army veterans, 1 Coast Guard veteran, 8 Marine veterans, and 8 Navy veterans, as well as all veterans nationwide.
The second recognition celebrated our associates’ 5- to 45-year milestone anniversaries. We had 46 milestones this year, which added up to 505 combined years of service at Petoskey Plastics. Between the 14 milestone associates at the Petoskey plant and headquarters, there was a total of 170 years of service. Hartford City plant associates followed with 16 honorees, serving a combined 150 years. Our 12 Morristown, TN, associates with 130 years of service were not too far behind. Rounding out the count were the 4 Birmingham, MI, sales office associates with 55 years of service. As always, we are grateful for our milestone associates and all associates who choose to be part of the Petoskey Plastics team.
All these moments and many more led to a successful 2023 for Petoskey Plastics. We already see a bright 2024 ahead of us, and we look forward to reflecting on it a year from now with you!