The board of directors of Boulder, Colo.-based R2 Solutions has voted unanimously to clarify that R2:2013 prohibits the use of CRT (cathode ray tube) glass that no longer is considered a focus material (FM) as alternative daily cover (ADC) at solid waste landfills.

“This formal clarification by the board is a win for the environment,” says Clare Lindsay, a member of the R2 Solutions board and formerly of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Solid Waste. “The CRT crisis must be dealt with effectively and expeditiously but not through the use of less-than-optimal environmental solutions.”

The March 26, 2014, vote by the organization’s board of directors is in line with the recommendation of the multistakeholder R2 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which recently deliberated the issue.

R2:2013's Provision 2(a)(3) states that electronics recyclers shall not direct materials to “...land disposal facilities unless no reuse or recycling options are viable.” The R2 TAC and the board agreed that recycling options are viable for non-FM CRT glass and that ADC does not constitute a form of reuse or recycling under the Standard (but rather a form of land disposal).

“CRT glass is such a contentious issue. And some people suggest that with an issue like this, real consensus-based, multistakeholder decision-making cannot adequately protect the environment,” says John Lingelbach, executive director of R2 Solutions. “Not true. Voluntary industry standards should be developed through multistakeholder processes; it's that simple. This decision on CRT glass supports this widely held principle.”

R2 Solutions, its board and the multi-stakeholder R2 TAC say they will continue to monitor the CRT glass situation in the United States and around the globe. 

R2 Solutions is a nonprofit organization established to house the R2 standard. The organization provides educational and outreach services as well as administrative support for the R2 standard and the Technical Advisory Committee, which is charged with advancing and further developing the standard.  

Jake, Connor & Crew, the Kitchener, Ontario-based manufacture of containers and consoles for the document destruction industry, has opened a distribution center in central California. The new center will be stocked with the company’s full line of products for the document protection and waste and recycling industries.

“Due to our higher volumes and demand on the West Coast, this was the natural progression for our distribution network,” says Gayle Nummelin, vice president of Jake, Connor & Crew. “In conjunction with our East Coast manufacturing and distribution center and our European distribution center, we are confident that with this new, convenient facility will benefit more of our rapidly growing customer base on the West Coast, who will have the opportunity to experience our quality of products and our unparalleled customer service.”

Jake, Connor & Crew was established in 1995 as a manufacturer of containers for the document destruction sector. The company expanded its business to include the waste and recycling industries in 2010. 

ThyssenKrupp Materials NA Inc. (TKMNA), headquartered in Southfield, Mich., has invested more than $15 million at its Woodstock, Ala., facility that will allow the company to produce a range of coil products. The facility currently employs 20 workers. At full capacity, the facility will create nearly 45 full-time jobs.

The Woodstock facility will process and distribute carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum coil for TKMNA’s customers throughout the southern United States. ThyssenKrupp Steel Services and Ken-Mac Metals, both divisions of TKMNA, occupy the facility. Currently, two cut-to-length lines and one 72-inch-wide slitter process material through the facility. TKMNA’s investment includes a surrounding property, which will allow the facility to expand up to 250,000 square feet.

“The Americas region is the second-largest region in our international materials business and is a key area for investment and opportunity with the recent resurgence of manufacturing throughout the country,” says Joachim Limberg, CEO, business area material services of ThyssenKrupp AG. “This new facility is key to our global strategy and establishes a great, customer-focused location in the heart of America’s manufacturing region.”

Hans-Josef Hoss, president and CEO of TKMNA, adds, “We are very excited for our company to grow in Alabama. This is an ideal location to strengthen TKMNA’s footprint because the region has shown impressive manufacturing growth in recent years. The Woodstock facility allows for a much closer relationship with customers throughout the South and greatly enhances our supply chain effectiveness.”

Sonoco Alcore, a subsidiary of the South Carolina-based packaging firm Sonoco, has opened a plant in Schekino, Tula, Russia. The plant is the third and largest manufacturing plant for Sonoco in Russia. Sonoco Alcore says the move will serve to consolidate its presence in Russia, one of the fastest growing European markets for industrial paper cores and tubes.

According to Sonoco, the $4 million facility will more than double Sonoco Alcore’s annual production capacity in Russia to about 17,000 metric tons. The facility also will allow Sonoco Alcore to extend its capabilities into new markets, specifically the film, metal and textile industries.

Sonoco says that the new site links directly to Sonoco Alcore’s technology center in Finland, which is able to optimize cores for any applications. The new plant will use 100 percent recycled fiber, recyclable glue and alcohol-based inks and all products are recyclable at end of life.

In a press release, Karsten Kemmerling, Sonoco Alcore’s sales director, says, “The Russian tube and core market is estimated to be around 100,000 metric tons per year, with 4 percent year-on-year growth, which represents a huge opportunity for us. In 2013, we managed to increase our existing share by 50 percent on the previous year – and we plan to grow this to a market-leading position of 30 percent by 2016.”

“The new facility gives us the capacity and breadth of offering, in the ideal geographic location to help us meet this challenge,” Kemmerling adds. “As part of our growth strategy, we are aligning our manufacturing footprint with our customers’ needs across Europe and the Middle East. As one of the fastest growing markets in Europe, Russia is central to our planned development in the region.”