AF&PA Honors Book Manufacturer with Recycling Award

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, D.C. has presented Edwards Brothers Malloy, Ann Arbor, Mich., with its 2013 Business Leadership Award. The award, which recognizes outstanding paper recycling programs, was presented at the 2013 Book Manufacturers’ Institute Management Conference, held in Hilton Head, S.C., in late April.

According to the AF&PA, Edwards Brothers Malloy’s program stood out from other entries for its efforts to educate employees on recycling a variety of paper grades and its waste management and reduction business practices, which led the company to achieve zero landfill status. In 2012 the company’s 900 employees recovered for recycling 12,500 tons of paper and paper-based packaging.

“AF&PA is proud to honor Edwards Brothers Malloy recycling efforts with this year’s Business Leadership Award,” says Mark Pitts, AF&PA executive director of printing and writing papers, who presented the award. “They drove their zero landfill vision by educating their employees on different recyclable grades of paper and paper-based packaging and how to recycle them, and their nearly 100 percent employee participation makes their program particularly impressive.”

The company renewed its commitment to sustainability in 2009, which resulted in the characterization and collection of 20 different paper grades throughout the facility. Incorporating the process into the daily workflow, coupled with employee education, has increased the volume and quality of the paper being recovered, says Edwards Brothers Malloy.

“We are thrilled to receive AF&PA’s 2013 Business Leadership Award for our recycling program,” says Bill Upton, vice president of operations at Edwards Brothers Malloy. “I would like to thank AF&PA for this great honor and I would like to thank all my colleagues at Edwards Brothers Malloy for their commitment and enthusiasm for the program. Achieving zero landfill status was an important goal for us and we're proud to have our efforts recognized by AF&PA in this way.”

(Above photo, from left: Bill Upton, vice president of operations, Edwards Brothers Malloy; Mark Pitts, AF&PA; and John Edwards, CEO, Edward Brothers Malloy.)