Content Highlight:
cei understands the importance of sustainability and is committed to incorporating environmentally friendly business practices throughout its operations.
Production
- cei minimizes environmental impact by:
- Using highly efficient production equipment and methodologies
- Reusing packaging materials from internal and outbound shipments
- Using automated inspection systems – reducing out of specification wastes
- Using robotic material handling systems – reducing material damage
- Using custom designed equipment with ongoing upgrades
Process Chemicals
- Full, onsite, pre-printing service provides start-to-finish manufacturing of flexography and offset lithography press printing plates
- 100% aqueous-based chemicals and developing solutions are used in printing plate operations
- Chemicals and plate components are controlled through "closed loop" quality auditing and production reporting systems that reduce manufacturing errors and premature plate failures
- On-site plate manufacturing conserves press, plate, ink, and chemical wastes by producing higher quality printing plates and replacing plates before print quality diminishes
- Flexography inks are water-based
- None of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) found in traditional solvent inks
- Independent third party tests confirm substrates printed with water-based inks have pet palatability preference over substrates printed with solvent-based inks
- Standard operating press procedures are strictly followed to monitor inks for proper consistency and performance, preventing over-application of wastes from out-of-spec ink and elimination of excess inks at job completion
- At job completion, all inks are returned to the ink mixing area to be used in the next blending of like colors, ensuring low ink waste levels and the "freshest" inks at the press
- Water-based flexography inks provide a safer employee work environment, due to lower exposure to the potentially harmful chemicals found in solvent-based ink, and also provide a reduced risk of fire and property damage
- 100% of all press ink and wash-up wastes captured for treatment and disposal, exceeding the Environmental Protection Association's certifiable disposal method requirements
- All ink waste and emptied ink shipping containers are returned to suppliers for reuse, eliminating the possibility of contaminates entering the solid waste stream and also reducing landfill waste
- Laminates and/or coat structures with solventless adhesives
- FDA approved for food packaging applications
- Solventless process reduces onsite solvents and chemicals that have harmful effects on employees, end users, equipment, and the environment
Environmentally Responsible Pallet and Shipping Initiatives
- Promote using "right sized" transportation pallets in order to meet customers' "forward" shipping needs for outbound finished consumer products
- The use of "Right-sized" pallets results in a reduced number of pallets entering the waste stream, lower emissions from transportation of new/ discarded pallets, and lower operating costs for cei customers
- Domestic production capabilities decrease environmental impact from transportation on "less than truckload" (LTL) orders
- Partner with outside national logistics companies to combine shipments with other freight destined for locations near customers’ sites, providing customers with rapid cost-efficient materials transportation; which is not possible with overseas providers
Recyclability
- 95% of our packaging products are recyclable
- cei's woven poly bags are 100% recyclable in single category waste streams; conserving space in landfills
- Inbound packaging materials (plastic, pallets/wood, steel, office/kraft paper) not reused for outbound shipments are recycled at local facilities
- Offer customers the ability to return all unused, pre-consumer packaging materials which are then recycled into the correct waste stream
