Get links to the latest news, events, stories, and interviews from our 5P news members. Our goal is to remind the decision-makers in Wisconsin of the importance of our industry both historically, and more importantly, into the future.
Read the latest PFAS Stories and Links on the Internet below.
“Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances” (“PFAS”) are a group of approximately 15,000 chemicals found in thousands of products ranging from consumer products like food packaging, non-stick cooking materials, and cosmetics to commercial firefighting foams. PFAS are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not easily break down in the human body and can exist in the environment for hundreds of years.
Aaron Benz
Companies began the widespread use of PFAS in various products in the late 1940s. Since then, research on the adverse effects of PFAS exposure has continued to advance. This research has linked PFAS exposure to adverse health effects including, cancers, fertility issues, diabetes, developmental issues, and immune disorders.
PFAS Litigation
Early PFAS litigation was focused on contamination of the environment surrounding major PFAS manufacturing locations. Major manufacturers faced thousands of lawsuits over the past several decades related to their products contaminating the water supply and allegedly harming residents in the surrounding areas.
Since 2020, there has been a significant rise in PFAS litigation. There are several factors driving this increase. As more time has passed since the widespread use of PFAS, researchers have been able to complete more studies on the long-term health effects of PFAS exposure. As such, there is now more data to directly connect PFAS exposure to adverse health effects. This is a critical component to any personal injury case because without medical studies, causation is nearly impossible to prove.
The increased awareness of the risks and adverse health effects of PFAS exposure has also led to increased governmental intervention to curb the use of PFAS. In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) rolled out a “Strategic Roadmap” that set future timelines for additional regulations on PFAS in drinking water and reporting requirements on PFAS. On a state level, legislatures are passing laws to regarding PFAS use and many state attorneys general are bringing lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers to protect the public from PFAS exposure.
Further, there have recently been several multibillion dollar settlements reached in PFAS litigation. Any time plaintiffs are seeing substantial settlements like this, the likelihood of similar lawsuits increases.
Recently, Kimberly-Clark has been the target of a proposed class action PFAS lawsuit. That suit, filed in Connecticut federal court, accuses Kimberly-Clark of negligence for failing to warn near its Kleenex facility that the facility’s smokestacks were emitting PFAS. Kimberly-Clark has denied that it uses PFAS in its U.S. consumer products.
Protect Your Business
Historically, PFAS litigation has been focused on the manufacturers of PFAS products. Recently, however, companies further down the chain of commerce have been targeted. Companies who have PFAS in their finished products- including food packaging, personal hygiene products, and clothing – are now becoming the targets of regulations and litigation.
In anticipation of new regulations and potential litigation, prudent businesses will want to consult counsel regarding new laws and regulations unique to their business and state to ensure their compliance, and may consider hiring outside consultants to audit their business to determine whether PFAS are used in their manufacturing process and/or the materials received from suppliers.
Aaron Benz is an attorney in Amundsen Davis’s Business Litigation Service Group where he focuses his practice on commercial litigation matters. Contact: abenz@amundsendavislaw.com
The Green Bay Innovation Group has put together an outstanding group of speakers on March 20, 2024, at Butte Morts Country Club in Appleton from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. To register go to: www.greenbayinnovationgroup.com/events. The cost is: $50.00 per person which includes a buffet lunch. Our Featured speaker is Tom Lee a Partner at Bryan, Cave, Leighton, Paisner LLP. Tom, an industry expert, will speak on PFAS in Food Packaging: State by State Regulations. In the absence of comprehensive federal regulations of PFAS in food packaging, states are dishing out their own laws. These laws are intended to address concerns that storing food in Food Packaging which contain PFAS Compounds may result in increased ingestion of those PFAS compounds. Historically, Food Packaging contained PFAS which include some grease-resistant paper, food fast containers/wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, pizza boxes, candy wrappers, plastics, and a host of other substrates.
Other Speakers Include:
Martin Shafer PhD. Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene and Water. He is a Research Scientist Geo/Environmental Chemistry. His PFAS projects primarily address atmospheric cycling (e.g., PFAS levels/deposition in precipitation) and cycling of PFAS in wastewater treatment facilities.
Dr. Marissia Jablonski PhD. – Executive Director of the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. She is an accomplished Water Engineer, Environmental Advisor and Plastics-Reduction Expert who has worked in more than forty-five countries.
Kevin Nelson Senior Fellow at Amcor, AMIC Advisory Board and UW Madison College of Engineering alum. He will discuss the material science behind packaging and various challenges the industry faces.
Brad Hartong – Primient – Applications Development Scientist in the Chemical and Paper Industries working with barrier coatings trying to replace fluorochemicals in various products.
Betsy Metzger – Product Development Manager for Glenroy, Inc. Glenroy is a flexible packaging company specializing in Food Packaging.
Get links to the latest news, events, stories, and interviews from our 5P news members. Our goal is to remind the decision-makers in Wisconsin of the importance of our industry both historically, and more importantly, into the future.
Read the latest 84 Stories and Links on the Internet below.
Green Bay, Wis. (February 19, 2024) — Just as Prophit Co. launches into its 22nd year in business, along too comes a technology launch and new company name to match it: Dignify!
Previously a marketing firm, Prophit Co.’s focus shifted to leadership development in 2020.
CEO of Dignify, Joe Kiedinger, said of the name change, “We’re aligning our new name with our mission of spreading dignity-based communication to the world.”
Dignify is doing just that through its namesake patented technology, Dignify®, and their team of world-class coaches and trainers. The transformative leadership development and communication platform has just gone through a significant update with enhanced features— and more due to roll out in 2nd and 3rd quarter—like an online learning academy, customizable surveys and a companion app for enterprise accounts that allows leaders to provide quick recognition that dignifies and motivates their direct reports. Dignify is also translated in Spanish and French to serve a greater range of national and international clients.
The company’s core services will not be changing. It will remain the same local, Green Bay team providing leadership training, executive coaching, team building events and strategic planning—now with enhanced technology capabilities.
Kiedinger continued, “Leadership is changing quickly as the workforce shifts generationally. We make it easier for companies adapt to that change with solutions for culture, conflict resolution, training, engagement and more—all to create sustainable, profitable growth.”
For more information, see www.dignify.com or contact Marketing Manager, Lauren Hitt at laurenh@prophit.com.
Dignify was founded in 2002 under the name J. Kiedinger Advertising by Joe and Danica Kiedinger of Green Bay. Dignify is a software as a service (SaaS) company that builds confident leaders and healthy cultures through a focus on human dignity. Dignify currently serves a mix of clients in the construction services, manufacturing and banking industries—spanning from Texas to Canada and Europe.
While years of research have shown that municipal wastewater is a source of contaminants to the environment, lesser is known about industrial wastewater. For instance, there are over 5,000 food, beverage, and feedstock facilities in the United States that hold National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits; however, these wastewaters are not typically monitored for organic chemicals, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), before they are discharged into “water of the United States”.
Laura Hubbard and her team at the U.S. Geological Survey investigated food process wastewater (FPWW) from 23 facilities in 17 states and analyzed for 576 different organic chemicals, including pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, and volatile organic compounds. They also searched for microbial substances like bacterial growth, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and antibiotic-resistance genes, as well as inorganic materials like nutrients, cations, and anions.
Hubbard’s research, published in 2022, showed that the tested (and anonymous) FPWW contained both chemical and microbial contaminants with a different profile than other known sources such as municipal wastewater. A total of 186 organic chemicals were detected with up to 48 detected in one sample. This study was the first to summarize contaminants released from FPWW.
The facility-specific results were disseminated to each the facilities, providing extensive data to aid them in future planning and management/mitigation. The results assisted one facility in decisions related to upgrading their fire suppression system to reduce discharge of PFAS into the receiving stream. If you’d like to get involved, or want to know more about this study, please contact Laura Hubbard, lhubbard@usgs.gov, 608-590-9881
In January, we wrote in the GBIG Newsletter about the “Digital Opportunity” and the reason that print manufactures should consider this growing segment. In this third segment we will review digital inkjet print to rigid flatbed systems and hybrid/specialty technologies. Investing in a flatbed printer will allow you to print on a wide range of rigid materials. Many printers come with a roll-to-roll option that gives you the best of both worlds allowing you to print on both flexible and rigid materials.
Printer models are now available in a multitude of sizes with the ability to print very small to down to 0.5” x 0.5”. Flatbeds are available at 18” x 24”, 24” x 36”, 50” x 55” and up the traditional industry standard of 4’ x 8’ and even larger at 8’ x 10’.
Flatbed printing systems can produce applications beyond typical display graphics, including backlit displays, high-end wall coverings for public and private spaces, dimensional prints, floor graphics, event signage, glasswork, architectural elements, fine art, or nearly anything that your imagination can conceive.
Flatbed printing technology uses either Latex or UV-curable inks. Ink chemistry continues to advance, providing expanded color gamut, high image quality and vibrant output. Overcoat for Latex ink and Varnish for UV inks enhance adhesion, gloss finish and scratch resistance.
A newer and rapidly growing application is thermoforming. Latex inks bring considerable advantages to printed thermoforming applications due to its flexibility and temperature resistance. It can provide thermoformed prints with rich, deep colors that don’t fade when stretched into deep-draw forms. A wide range of substrates can be used in thermoforming, and the end product can range from prototypes, point-of-sale material, full graphics trays for commercial packaging uses and blister packs for industrial parts.
You will generally find that printing using flatbed technology will save you money on consumables. A flatbed printer can print directly onto unfinished or uncoated materials, reducing the need for additional processing steps. With flatbed printing, there’s no need to print onto vinyl or paper surfaces which a traditional roll-fed printer requires. The elimination of these additional steps, plus the materials and labor required to mount and laminate, ultimately results in faster turnaround times and lower production costs for your shop.
At Big Systems, our Service Mark is “Print Brilliant.” We do our absolute best to help our customers improve their workflow and print results every day. Big Systems is a dealer of wide-format equipment, supplies, software, installation, repair services and specialty applications. We are located in Menomonee Falls, WI.
Small Pet Select is a family-owned company that provides farm fresh essentials for your small pet, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and more. One of their main products is Timothy Hay, and each bundle of hay is hand-selected from the very best farms in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Josh Price – Product Buyer, Small Pet Select
Small Pet Select’s ship cases have traditionally served the purpose of simply transporting product to consumers’ doorsteps, however, that has all changed. Now their ship cases tell a story. Each panel of the box delivers a vibrant message… from it being ‘hand-selected, hand-packaged, and hands-down best’, to nutritional facts, to awards won, to the family’s story of how the company began, to QR codes which enable customers to upload videos of their unboxing experience, and more. What was once an understated box is now a highly decorated, interactive brand with beautiful colors, graphics, and messaging that enhances the customer experience.
Their new packaging naturally encourages the consumer to interact with all six panels of the box, while completely elevating Small Pet Select’s brand to a premium level… equaled only by the product inside the box. And this packaging transformation has taken place because of digital printing produced on the Domino X630i at Independent 2 in Louisville, Kentucky USA.
We caught up with Josh Price, product buyer at Small Pet Select, to learn more about their business, their partnership with Independent 2, and the benefits of digital printing delivered by the Domino X630i digital aqueous inkjet corrugated press. Independent 2’s Finn MacDonald and Devin Danehy visited with us as well.
Josh Price begins, “We are small family-owned business delivering the freshest and most premium products for your rabbits, guinea pigs, and chickens. And we pride ourselves on having the very best Timothy Hay in the world. That is a mission of ours here at Small Pet Select. We are located in Louisville, Kentucky with a 46,000 square foot facility, and all of our products are sourced in the Pacific Northwest, which has the best product and the best climate for growing our Timothy Hay. Our hay is fresh. It smells good. It’s green. And it’s also packaged in a 100% biodegradable breathable box which is recyclable and good for the planet. And Newsweek named Small Pet Select one of America’s best pet brands. We are proud to display that on our boxes.” continued on next page
The partnership
Devin Danehy, sales partner at Independent 2 says, “We have been a partner with Small Pet Select for somewhere around seven or eight years now. It started out as a couple of die cut boxes, some simple RSC’s, and to date they probably have somewhere between 30 to 40 different SKUs and 95% of them are all off of our Domino. It’s all digital print. They are rocking and rolling and we’re happy and blessed to be a part of it.” Finn MacDonald, president of Independent 2 adds, “Our vision was relatively simple. Diversify from brown box, but do it in a way that would deliver consistent value and quality to our customers. And it was something that was achievable for us to manage every day. When Domino came out with the X630i single-pass aqueous based digital press, we said ‘that’s it’.”
The beauty of digital printing
Josh says, “The beauty of digital printing is that we are able to change and adapt on the fly. With our old box, we only had three colors. With the new art of digital printing, we are able to use many different colors and tell many different stories and change out on a frequent basis. If we want to run different themed boxes, we can certainly run those now at a much faster pace than using flexo in the past, and it has really elevated our business to the next level.” Devin adds, “Independent 2 likes to be in front of the marketplace and with customers like Small Pet Select, we’re able to raise the bar and stay ahead of the game.”
Going above and beyond
Josh concludes, “Independent 2 is more than a partner. They go above and beyond to help us achieve our goals. They provide great solutions. They’re very fast, quick, and responsive to any needs that we might have. We take great pride in the products that we bring to market, and we take great pride in the packaging that we use to bring those products to market.”
Domino is a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions. Celebrating its 46th year in business, Domino is a global organization with world headquarters in the UK, and North America headquarters in Gurnee, IL. Domino has 25 subsidiaries, representation in over 120 countries, and over 3,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Domino digital printing, please visit dominodigitalprinting.com
North America Headquarters 1290 Lakeside Drive Gurnee, IL T 847 244 2501 F 847 244 1421 dominodigitalprinting.com
Green Bay Innovation Group
Bringing Green Bay Companies Together. Green Bay Innovation Group is committed to building an authentic networking experience where innovation can thrive.
