Specialty packaging manufacturer J.L. Clark has been awarded a 2013 Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award, adding to an impressive array of recent local, regional and national awards the company has received for its sustainable products and practices.

J.L. Clark was one of just 27 Illinois companies and organizations to be honored for their significant achievements in protecting the environment, helping sustain the future and improving the economy. Among the most notable of J.L. Clark’s sustainability initiatives was its Zero Waste to Landfill initiative. This was a major undertaking, requiring documentation of each material type entering the facility and possibilities for elimination, reduction, reuse, or recycling of the material.

Since winning the award in 2011, J.L. Clark has realized significant additional energy savings and sustainability improvements. By replacing air compressors, improving process efficiency and rebuilding cap molds, the facility has significantly reduced energy consumption. The company’s zero waste efforts have resulted in 96.6 percent of material diverted from landfill, or 2,738,408 pounds total. In sum, the energy saving and waste reduction projects undertaken by J.L. Clark resulted in financial savings of $335,385 in 2012.

Since 1987, the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) has presented Governors awards to organizations in Illinois that have demonstrated commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices. “These businesses and organizations have shown that it is possible to create and maintain conditions under which people and the environment can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social and economic requirements of present and future generations, “ said Manohar Kulkarni, ISTC Director.