McCourt Label Awarded ISO 14001 Environmental Certification

McCourt Label, Lewis Run, Pa., achieved the prestigious ISO 14001 accreditation, illustrating its current and future commitment to minimizing environmental impact. The ISO 14001 international standard provides both a model for streamlining environmental management, and guidelines to ensure environmental issues are considered within decision-making practices.

McCourt Label is one of the first label manufacturing companies in the United States to achieve the ISO 14001 accreditation. McCourt Label attained the accreditation after a series of audits by NSF at its Lewis Run facility. The site will be assessed annually to ensure continual development of the Environmental Management System (EMS) that is currently in place.

The company’s main objectives are to continuously improve environmental performance by investigating the reduction of hazardous and toxic chemicals; reducing, reusing and recycling waste and packaging; and improving the efficiency of energy usage.

McCourt Label has substantially reduced its impact on the environment through various initiatives enacted over the last three years. Separate employee committees from all areas of the company handle the planning and implement steps to assure goals are attained.

In one of the first major initiatives, McCourt Label reduced the exposure of solid waste on the environment by moving its dumpsters to a newly-erected enclosed building. The upshot is a decrease in the chance of an environmental impact from groundwater runoff from the dumpsters. This substantial investment in the property also allowed for increased storage and control of hazardous materials. Funding for the project was obtained through a loan from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In addition, the company achieved a huge reduction in the usage of hazardous waste by implementing a program to eliminate or substantially reduce the use of all SARA III-rated chemicals in the facility. Furthermore, McCourt Label determined electric consumption is one of its significant environmental aspects due to the contributory impact on increased CO2 from coal-fired power plant emissions. An aggressive target was set to reduce electric consumption from lighting in the plant and offices by 20 percent. This target was met and exceeded during 2007.