Grand Rapids Label (GRL), a custom label printer based in Grand Rapids, MI, USA, has long been a proponent of sustainability and green practices. In an effort to continue along this path, the converter recently teamed with Channeled Resources Group (CRG) to better recycle matrix waste.

GRL has been in business since 1884, and today, it is owned and actively managed by three members of the fourth generation of the Muir family: Bill Muir, president, John Crosby, VP of operations, and Steve Allen, VP of service. At a family meeting in 2012, attendees were asked to describe the legacy that each of them wanted the business to leave for the fifth generation. Crosby recalls, “We thought that the answers would center on growth, or profitability…..or, usual ‘business’ answers. However, the responses we got were overwhelmingly focused on sustainability – environmentalism first and foremost.”

He continues, “It was very telling, when the question is one of legacy for the next generation, the greatest response had to do with being responsible citizens of our community and mother earth, not how large the business becomes. This feedback changed our perspective about how to run the business. Sustainability became a top priority.”

With this focus on sustainability firmly embedded and supported by personal commitments of the family owners, a vision for the future took shape. The first goal of the vision was/is to become landfill free.  When GRL reenergized this journey in 2012, the company was only 10% landfill free In addition to things like lowering energy use in the plant and lifecycle assessments, it wanted to focus on what would be most tangible to the company’s 85 employees – keeping non-recyclable waste out of landfills.

For help with this task, GRL turned to CRG. Crosby and Bill Muir had known Calvin Frost and Channeled Resources since 2008 when GRL renewed its activity with TLMI. Although the first steps toward becoming landfill-free (setting up a straightforward recycling process) did not involve Channeled Resources directly, CRG advised them all along the way. GRL utilized this process for five years and got to the first milestone of being 40% landfill-free.

In 2017, GRL engaged with Channeled Resources to set up a relationship with Convergen Energy to take the converter’s matrix waste. Convergen Energy converts non-recyclable industrial by-products into an alternative fuel that can be used to replace fossil fuel sources and produce renewable energy. Since 2009, Convergen has diverted over 600,000 tons (1.2 billion pounds) from landfills into energy alternatives. This is enough waste material to more than fill three entire Empire State Buildings. 

The Convergen Energy solution provides a very low carbon footprint and reduces greenhouse gas emissions significantly compared to any other method of power generation that uses fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, the companies state.

Crosby has been very satisfied with the Convergen Energy relationship and notes, “Their product and service is excellent, and their analyses about their product, specifically their LCA analysis, differentiates them from their competitors.” 

It took GRL a little over a year to get all the logistical pieces in place (e.g. testing of waste streams at Convergen, storage space for bales and gaylords at GRL). In the third quarter of 2018, GRL began shipping waste matrix to Convergen. GRL finished 2018 at 60% landfill-free, 2019 at 80% landfill-free and finally, 2021 at 83% landfill-free. Crosby affirms, “We’re not finished – our goal is to be greater than 98% landfill free by the end of 2024.”

GRL has been at the forefront of environmentally sensitive handling of production waste. Since the kickoff with Convergen Energy in 2018, 2.5 million pounds of its waste not only have been kept out of landfills, but that waste has been used to produce energy. Crosby acknowledges that although “we did have to change how we handle waste in our facility, the beauty of landfill avoidance is that the employees are immediately onboard. Implementing and training were not difficult; there was immediate buy-in.”

This has become so tangible to their employees, in fact, that they began improving their recycling results at home. As a result of this impact on their employees, GRL received the “Calvin Frost Sustainability Leadership Award” in 2020.

GRL has extended its approach to sustainability to its suppliers and customers. In fact, the converter makes this approach quite visible on its website as they note that they are “actively seeking like-minded partnerships across our supply chain and client-base so conversations and goals can lead to actions and tangible results. If you want to drive solvents out of your adhesives, use materials with recycled content, or talk waste to energy, we’re all in. Grand Rapids Label has the resources and industry connections to help. Let’s talk and see how we can merge our efforts and your environmental goals into success.”

According to Crosby, this renewable energy solution provides three key benefits: a drastic reduction of how much material the company is putting in the local landfill; the renewable energy pellets created at Convergen have a lower carbon footprint than the fossil fuel(s) they replace; and goodwill is created for shareholders, employees and customers.

Crosby adds, “We believe that sustainability is good business (for growth and profitability), good for the planet and good for our stakeholders, specifically our employees.  What we do at Grand Rapids Label serves as great role-modeling for our 85 employees. We’re confident that sustainability does not stop at our walls but rather it spreads to 85 households and beyond.”

The rich history at GRL has come with the mantra, “Leave it better than you found it.”  This philosophy has been inspired by Muir family values and guides all of GRL’s business practices. According to Crosby, “Green is embedded in our DNA. Protecting and preserving the environment is an integral part of our company and culture. We are committed to providing our customers with safe, eco-friendly, competitive products and services, while embracing a broader view of impact on the environment of our employees, clients, and communities.”

GRL is currently active in most markets, including high performance labels, automotive, industrial and durable, consumer packaging, food and beverage, medical, laboratory and electronics. Its business is 90% flexographic and 10% digital. The company has owned HP Indigo digital presses since 1995 and in 2020, purchased its fourth HP Press – a carbon neutral-manufactured HP Indigo 6900.