STIHL Inc. and Goodwill Industries International Receive 2017 Excellence in Reusable Packaging Award

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reusable Packaging Association (RPA) is pleased to announce that STIHL Inc. and Goodwill Industries International are the winners of the 2017 Excellence in Reusable Packaging award.

Two award categories were established in 2017: one to recognize for-profit companies and one to recognize non-profit or governmental organizations. STIHL Inc. received the for-profit company award for their project to reduce waste, cost, material handling, and down-time while improving movement of in-house components within and between facilities through conversion from single-use corrugated boxes to reusable storage/transport containers. Goodwill Industries International received the non-profit organization award for their initiative to reduce product damage and cost while improving worker safety and warehouse utilization through a standard footprint reusable pallet and sleeve system for bulk storage of donated items.

"This year, we received the highest number of applications since the award program was established in 2011," said Tim Debus, President & CEO of the RPA. "The innovation reflected in all the entries was outstanding and the field was very competitive. However, the significant business and environmental results achieved by STIHL Inc. and Goodwill made their submissions stand out. Our judges cited the impressive impact demonstrated in multiple facets of their operations, including product movement, handling and storage, worker safety, operational efficiency, waste reduction, and cost savings across multiple facilities and geographies as key factors in their selection. We congratulate STIHL Inc. and Goodwill, and we commend and thank all the companies that submitted entries this year for making reusable transport packaging a centerpiece of their sustainability programs."

STIHL Inc. eliminates 760 tons of corrugated annually while improving operational efficiency. STIHL Inc. is the leading manufacturer of power tools for landscape maintenance and forestry. The Company is dedicated to protecting the environment through the development of powerful, fuel-efficient outdoor power equipment and environmentally responsible production practices. They identified the need for a more efficient, sustainable way to move components from one production line to another as well as to ship and exchange components with other manufacturing facilities within the STIHL Group, both domestically and internationally. By replacing corrugated cartons with standardized KTP GP3 reusable plastic containers, they realized significant cost savings, a favorable payback on container purchases and required machinery modifications, reduction in material handling, forklift traffic, and down-time, along with improved inter-company inventory balance and component exchange … all while reducing the amount of cardboard returned for recycling by over 760 tons annually. "We are honored to accept this award. At STIHL Inc., environmental stewardship is part of our core values and we continually seek ways to improve our environmental impact and employ sustainable business practices. We are proud of the fact that our reusable packaging not only reduces waste, but also allows for efficiencies in our production process," said Herbert Taute, Manager of Industrial Engineering and Continuous Improvement for STIHL Inc.

Goodwill Industries improves warehouse utilization, reduces merchandise damage and environmental impact related to packaging. Goodwill Industries is a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes retail merchandise primarily received through donations. For years, Goodwill has been an entrepreneurial leader, environmental advocate and social innovator and believes in the "reduce, reuse and repurpose" model. Goodwill collects and sells donated goods that may have been landfilled, thereby reducing waste. It also embraces plastic reusable packaging to move, handle, store and transport these donated items within its operations. At its warehouses where donated goods are collected, sorted, processed, and distributed to retail locations for resale, Goodwill was experiencing product damage, significant recurring packaging costs and underutilized warehouse capacity. By replacing wood pallets and fiber corrugated gaylords with the ORBIS OPTEBulk, a 40" x 48" reusable pallet and sleeve system for bulk storage and stacking, Goodwill realized a 50% increase in warehouse utilization, better trailer utilization, improved worker handling, efficiency, and safety, and reduced merchandise damage, packaging cost, and environmental impact.

STIHL Inc. and Goodwill Industries will present their award-winning entries at the RPA Reusable Packaging Learning Center at Pack Expo in Las Vegas, NV at 2:30 pm PDT on Tuesday, September 26, 2017.

About STIHL Inc.: STIHL Inc. manufactures the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America,* as well as the number one selling brand of chain saws in the world. STIHL is also the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment among U.S. landscape professionals.** STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast - not big box stores. Located in Virginia Beach, Va., STIHL Inc., the headquarters for U.S. operations for the worldwide STIHL Group, exports to over 90 countries around the world; and the majority of STIHL products sold in America are also built in America.***

*"Number one selling brand" is based on syndicated Irwin Broh Research as well as independent consumer research of 2009-2016 U.S. sales and market share data for the gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial landscapers. **"Number one selling" claim based on 2007-2016 syndicated Irwin Broh Research of the U.S. professional landscaper market. ***A majority of STIHL gasoline-powered units sold in the United States are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components.

About Goodwill Industries International: Goodwill Industries International (GII) is a network of 162 community-based, autonomous organizations in the United States and Canada with a presence in 13 other countries. GII is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is recognized by GuideStar with its Platinum Seal of Approval, the organization's highest rating for charities. GII was also ranked by Enso as the #1 brand doing the most good in the world for two consecutive years, and was the only nonprofit brand rated in Forbes' 20 most inspiring companies for three consecutive years. Local Goodwill organizations are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that create job training programs, employment placement and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in more than 3,200 stores collectively and online at shopgoodwill.com®. Local Goodwill organizations also build revenue and create jobs by contracting with businesses and government to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food services preparation, and document imaging and shredding. Last year, local Goodwill organizations collectively placed more than 312,000 people in employment in the United States and Canada. In addition, more than 35 million people used computers and mobile devices to access Goodwill education, training, mentoring and online learning services to strengthen their skills, and more than 2 million people received in person services. To learn more, visit goodwill.org.

About ORBIS Corporation: With more than 160 years of material handling expertise and 50 years of plastics innovations, ORBIS consists of a portfolio of businesses that meet the material handling needs of companies across many industries. ORBIS helps world-class customers move their product faster, safer, and more cost-effectively. Using a proven approach, ORBIS experts analyze customers' systems, design a solution, and execute a reusable packaging program for longer-term cost savings and sustainability. Using life-cycle assessments to compare reusable and single-use packaging, ORBIS also helps customers reduce their overall environmental impact. ORBIS is a part of Menasha Corporation, one of the oldest family-owned manufacturers in the United States. As a steward of sustainability, ORBIS is committed to a better world for future generations. ORBIS tracks and measures its own resource utilization to continuously conserve natural resources and reduce waste. For more information, please visit www.orbiscorporation.com, www.facebook.com/ORBISCorporation, www.twitter.com/orbiscorp or www.youtube.com/orbiscorp.

About the Excellence in Reusable Packaging Award: The RPA Excellence in Reusable Packaging award recognizes companies and organizations that have developed and implemented innovative and measurable reusable packaging solutions in a business-to-business supply chain. 2017 marks the 6^th year for this annual award program. Submissions are reviewed by an independent panel of judges who are not members of the Association. RPA would like to thank all this year's judges:

• Justin Lehrer, Senior Program Manager, and Michelle Fay, Program Manager, StopWaste
• Ben Miyares, President, Packaging Management Institute
• Laszlo Horvath, CPL, Assistant Professor and Director, Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech University
• Rick LeBlanc, Editor, PackagingRevolution.net

About the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA): RPA is a non-profit trade organization representing and promoting the common business interests of member suppliers and users of reusable packaging products and services. RPA promotes the use and value of reusable transport packaging systems, which offer product quality, economic, and environmental benefits to supply chains. For more information, visit the RPA website at reusables.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Tim Debus, President & CEO
Reusable Packaging Association
(813) 358-5327
[email protected]

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Reusable Packaging Association Excellence in Reusable Packaging Award

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STIHL Inc.

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SOURCE Reusable Packaging Association