Curtis Packaging Leads—

Sustainability And Business Survey

Proves State Businesses Are Going Green

HARTFORD — In today’s tough economic climate, companies are struggling with increased business costs and are looking for ways to increase efficiency and savings. The majority of Connecticut companies are focusing on eliminating waste, conserving energy and making better use of resources by actively adopting or changing sustainability policies — or “going green.”

Those are some of the key findings of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s (CBIA) 2008 Sustainability and Connecticut Business Survey. The second annual survey found that Connecticut companies are dedicated to good corporate citizenship and community involvement and are looking for ways to remain environmentally sound, socially responsible, and financially sensible. In the past year, the number of companies adopting green business practices has increased by 12 percentage points, from 47 percent to 59 percent.

“Connecticut businesses are well-known for their innovation and resourcefulness,” said John R. Rathgeber, CBIA president and CEO. “The concept of corporate sustainability is a natural extension of that tradition. It is also a very smart way of doing business that continues to reap competitive rewards.”

Connecticut companies are involved in numerous initiatives, from recycling to reexamining supply chains. The survey found that among Connecticut companies surveyed:

*86 percent recycle

*73 percent have policies for properly disposing of waste

*54 percent use recycled paper

*39 percent use eco-friendly cleaning supplies

*28 percent encourage suppliers to adopt green initiatives or use those that do

*27 percent address recycling and other environmental issues with vendors

*24 percent have water conservation strategies

In an interesting paradox, cost was cited as both a reason companies have gone green and a reason why they have no’t. Eighty-four percent of respondents said their top reason for adopting green practices is to demonstrate environmental and social responsibility. Other key factors include lowering operating costs (58 percent) and improving market strategy (30 percent). Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of companies that have embraced green business practices said their actions benefited their business.

“Companies that find the overlap between their business interests and those of society and the environment — ‘ the sustainability sweet spot’— will do better in the long run,” said Andrew Savitz, senior consultant, Sustainable Business Strategies and author of The Triple Bottom Line : How the Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success — and How You Can Too. “These companies will outpace their competitors by finding ways to enrich society and their shareholders at the same time.”

Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of business respondents believe sustainable practices could lead to long-term savings. That is up from 66 percent last year.

Here in Newtown, Curtis Packaging Corporation prides itself as an eco-friendly printing and packaging company that manufactures custom folding cartons using 100 percent renewable energy.

Curtis has committed to purchasing a total of 4,524,800 kWh of renewable energy per year — enough to cover 100 percent of its energy usage — for the next three years, according to company releases. The majority of Curtis’s renewable energy mix is wind power, and approximately 30 percent of the purchase includes locally generated wind and hydro power.

“Since our press release announcing our commitment to 100 percent green power, we have had numerous newspapers, magazines, and even TV networks contacting us,” said Don Droppo, Jr, vice president for sales and marketing. “We have also signed up new customers because of our ‘green’ commitment. Hopefully after hearing the positive impact this has had on our business, other business owners or corporations may follow suit to do their part to help sustain the environment.”

The Sandy Hook company was recently challenged by a major cosmetics company whose brand has veered away from its environmentally sensitive roots. The challenge was to produce a carton using an environmentally friendly recycled board.

Curtis discovered a paper mill that not only produced a board that was 100 percent recycled, but had a 75 percent postconsumer content made from wind power. This substrate is the first of its kind in the United States and the company plans to make it available for future projects.

The company was recently been certified as an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) environmentally responsible packaging source, which few North American packaging companies can claim.

But, according to the CBIA study, there are barriers to incorporating green products and processes into business operations. More than half (56 percent) of business respondents said the main barrier is cost, followed by the lack of knowledge about sustainable practices (42 percent) and the lack of company leadership on the issue (15 percent).

In order to address these constraints and to help Connecticut businesses go green and promote a sustainable workplace, CBIA last year launched an online Green Business Center, cbia.com/green, which features programs, green vendors, best practices, and more.

“In order to remain competitive and continue to grow in the future, Connecticut businesses must continue to explore new ways of becoming more responsible, more efficient and more profitable,” said Peter Gioia, CBIA vice president and economist. “Adopting green, sustainable business practices offers business the opportunity to meet all these goals and use the ‘triple bottom line’ of fiscal health, environmental stewardship, and corporate social responsibility as a broader and truer measure of their success.”

The CBIA survey was conducted by e-mail, with 474 Connecticut businesses participating, for a margin of error of plus or minus 4.59 percent.