Mack CARES
Mack's most recent environmental initiative is its certification to ISO 14001:2004, the internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. National Quality Assurance, an independent third party registrar, awarded the certification in early Summer 2007, following the final Phase 2 audit, which was completed without a single non-conformance or observation.
Coined ‘Mack CARES,’ Mack’s environmental policy statement commits to:
- Continual improvement
- Always being compliant
- Reduced waste and pollution
- Education, and
- Systematic reviews.
Specifically, the team assigned to this project first identified and ranked for the Inman, S.C., and Statesville, N.C., plants over 300 elements of Mack’s business activities that potentially affected the environment. From there, they wrote and implemented a Pellet Loss Prevention Plan; nine procedures and five work instructions to address the 14001 standard; an Environmental Policy Manual; a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan; and additions to the Hazardous Waste/Non-hazardous Waste Plan.
In addition, Mack developed an Environmental, Health and Safety incident reporting system, and has incorporated several of the environmental requirements into already-existing ISO 9001 procedures.
To maintain ISO 14001:2004 certification, Mack will undergo an annual surveillance audit for compliance until the certificate expires in April 2010, at which time the company will undertake another reassessment audit.
Other Environmental Commitments
Mack's major expansion of its headquarters plant in Arlington, Vt., completed in 1999, provides several tangible examples of Mack’s commitment to the environment. First, the original headquarters plant plus the PhaseII/III expansion was designed specifically to minimize impact on surrounding wetlands. And in accordance with state requirements, two large water detention basins were built to capture stormwater run-off and control percolation back into the ground.
As part of the expansion, Mack installed nine Engel molding machines in addition to the previous 15. The Engel machines were chosen partly because of the energy efficiency they offer, but also because of their high performance capabilities, resulting in few rejected parts and less scrap. When produced, most scrap plastics are recycled in Mack’s plants.
We also expanded from six to 19 loading docks and changed their location to the west side of the plant. This was done, in part, to move all truck traffic and related noise to the back of the facility, reducing any disruption to Mack’s neighbors, and to eliminate congestion between truck traffic and employee parking.
The new facility also features a closed loop process cooling water system that minimizes the amount of water used for cooling, and avoids environmental pollution. Environmentally friendly chemicals are used for both water treatment and cleaning processes. Air compressor condensation is processed through an oil/water separator where the water is converted into pure steam and vented into the air. The remaining oil is then processed and recycled. All waste hydraulic oil and filters are completely recycled, as well as all used lamp bulbs.
The 310,000 square-foot facility is heated with propane gas, which is more expensive to buy and run, but is cleaner than other heating sources.
In an ongoing effort, Mack has committed to reducing the use of solvent-based paint in favor of the more environmentally friendly water-based paint. While more costly for the company, Mack has been successful in converting 90 percent of its jobs to water-based paints, resulting in a VOC (volatile organic compounds) emission reduction of approximately 70 percent.
Finally, Mack also seeks out opportunities to partner with both key customers and suppliers on returnable packaging. For example, circuit board packaging is recycled back to the supplier. Empty plastic totes are returned to resin suppliers. And whenever possible, Mack’s end-customer packaging requirements are passed down to the supplier.
