American Packaging Corporation Joins Circular Great Lakes to Actively Combat Plastic Waste and Pollution

CHILI, N.Y.- American Packaging Corporation (APC) today announced it has joined Circular Great Lakes as a corporate activation partner, a regional initiative led by the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR). Through the initiative, APC and other partners will work closely with CGLR to define a strategy that paves the way to a zero plastic waste economy in the binational Great Lakes region.

"The Great Lakes region is near and dear to APC, as four of our locations are within close proximately to the lakes," APC Director of Corporate Purchasing Jeff Huber said. "This local initiative closely aligns with our core values and commitment to sustainability, enabling us to share ideas and recommendations on how to better support the environment by moving from single-use and disposal to formats that can be collected and reused."

Circular Great Lakes will work with partners to develop a circular economy strategy for plastics in the region, setting the stage for targeted actions and partnerships over the next five years. The initiative's priorities include driving systemic changes necessary to close the loop for plastics in the region, shifting away from a linear take-make-dispose economy and materials management mindset.

"We're looking forward to working alongside industry partners to drive meaningful change as the industry tackles the critical challenges of combating plastic waste and pollution into the environment," APC Manager of Innovation & Sustainability Jeff Travis said. "Through our collaboration, we're hopeful that the roadmap and ideas we create will inspire other organizations to reduce waste across North America, leading to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future."

Additional founding corporate activation partners and funders of Circular Great Lakes include Dow Inc., Charter Next Generation, Imperial, Pregis Corporation and Rothmans Benson & Hedges. More than 20 knowledge partners from government, academia and the nonprofit sectors are supporting the initiative and uniting to actively combat plastic waste and pollution in the Great Lakes.

"Plastic waste and pollution are serious issues in the Great Lakes," CGLR President & CEO Mark Fisher said. "Circular Great Lakes will be the catalyst for identifying the transformational projects, forming the partnerships and mobilizing the public-private sector investments required to ensure this valuable material never becomes waste in this region, North America's economic engine."

APC continually works to develop new materials and improve processes that reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, improve package-to-product ratio, and create more environmentally friendly products and materials.

About American Packaging Corporation
Founded in 1902, American Packaging Corporation is a recognized leader in the flexible packaging industry. Independently owned, APC is committed to innovation, sustainability and customer delight from a talented family of packaging professionals. Today, APC operates five Centers of Excellence in the United States and employs approximately 1,200 talented, motivated professionals, including nationwide sales reps and field technical support. For more information, please visit americanpackaging.com.

About the Council of the Great Lakes Region
CGLR is a binational network of organizations comprised of CGLR Canada, CGLR USA and the CGLR Foundation. It is dedicated to deepening the United States-Canada relationship in the Great Lakes economic region, and focuses on creating stronger, more dynamic cross-border collaborations through dialogue, policy research and advocacy in order to find new ways of harnessing the region's economic strengths and assets, improving the well-being and livelihoods of the region's 108 million citizens and protecting the environment for future generations. Through its work, CGLR is striving to turn the binational Great Lakes economic region into the most prosperous, innovative, sustainable and welcoming region in the world. Visit CGLR at councilgreatlakesregion.org.