Announcements

Wood Dale, Illinois – D&W Fine Pack LLC, a food packaging solutions innovator, has announced it has launched Earth Smart®, a diverse new collection of packaging products which harmonize sustainability profiles with the convenience that consumers demand.

These packaging items, showcased at D&W’s new website, earthsmartpackaging.com, feature materials and production technologies that lessen environmental impact – throughout the product’s life cycle.

“The breadth of Earth-friendly features in these product offerings is truly tremendous,” states Gary Rehwinkel, D&W Fine Pack CEO and President.

“With Earth Smart®, sustainability isn’t a buzzword. It’s built into the DNA of these products, so consumers can enjoy their meal selections and feel good about its packaging.”

To achieve its sustainability credentials, Earth Smart® packaging draws from six key material and process characteristics: recycled content, bio-based content, compostability, recyclability, reduced environmental impact, and free of intentionally added PFA’s (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

Earth Smart packaging consists of five groups:

1) Bioresin rigid containers for warm and cold food applications: they’re made from cellulose acetate, containing certified recycled content otherwise destined for landfills. They are recyclable and free of PFA’s. Industrial compostability certification is expected soon.

2) Bioresin straws are made of the same materials as the bioresin rigid containers. These straws are certified home and industrially compostable.  They offer greater clarity than comparable bioresin straws.

3) Molded pulp containers, bowls, and plates, made with natural fibers and bamboo bagasse, are microwavable and refrigerator safe. They are recyclable and free of intentionally added PFA’s.

4) Mineral-filled polypropylene (PP) hinged containers, made with natural minerals that reduce plastic content while maintaining rigidity. Refrigerator-safe and microwaveable, so they’re ideal for hot foods. They’re also recyclable, as well as top-rack dishwasher safe – so they’re reusable.

5) Post-consumer recycled PET containers. D&W’s new state-of-the-art technology adds the capability to produce containers with up to 100% post-consumer PET (polyethylene terephthalate) with near-virgin clarity. This is available for the company’s entire line of PET products.

D&W Fine Pack LLC, headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois is a leader in food packaging and foodservice disposables, providing a broad range of single-use containers, tableware, cutlery, straws, and meal kits. As a leader in sustainable development, D&W promotes eco-friendly packaging using renewable resources.

 

CONTACT: Annie Ham, Director of Marketing

D&W Fine Pack LLC

1372 North Old Laurens Road

Fountain Inn, SC 29644

annie.ham@dwfp.com

(843) 409-7638

WOOD DALE, Ill., December 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ – D&W Fine Pack has announced the implementation of a multimillion-dollar investment in sustainability technology at its Fort Wayne, Indiana manufacturing facility.

This new extrusion technology, slated to debut in January, 2023, is the largest of its kind in the US and gives the company the capability to make food packaging products from 100% post-consumer recycled PET, incorporating a broader range of plastic flake and saving energy in manufacturing.

This process creates FDA food grade PET sheet from plastics that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.

This technology has achieved a global scale of acceptance, with international certifications from FDA, EFSA, Anvisa, Invima and Senasa.

“We are excited to expand our capability to run up to 100% recycled material, with flexibility between post-consumer and post-industrial waste PET that conforms with FDA requirements,” said Gary Rehwinkel, CEO and President of D&W Fine Pack.

“The new infrastructure that we are implementing to support this initiative will allow us to streamline the process, become more efficient, and save energy. On average, the expectation is an energy savings of 29% versus conventional technology.”

PET, or Polyethylene terephthalate, is a clear, strong, lightweight plastic that is widely recycled.

EFSA is the The European Food Safety Authority, Anvisa is the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, Invima is the Colombia National Food and Drug Surveillance Institute and Senasa is The National Food Safety and Quality Service of Argentina.

For more information, visit dwfinepack.com

D&W Fine Pack LLC, headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois is a leader in food packaging and foodservice disposables, providing a broad range of single-use containers, tableware, cutlery, straws and meal kits. As a committed leader in sustainable developments, D&W promotes eco-friendly packaging using renewable resources.

CONTACT: Annie Ham, Director of Marketing
D&W Fine Pack LLC
1372 North Old Laurens Road
Fountain Inn, SC 29644
annie.ham@dwfp.com
(843) 409-7638

For Earth Day 2021, D&W Fine Pack® introduces Earth Smart™ compostable drinking straws. Earth Smart™ straws are the first to be made with Aventa™ Renew by Eastman, a newly developed material that is certified commercially compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).

The first plastic straws certified commercially compostable and biodegradable, to help divert plastics from landfills.

In addition to end-of-life benefits, Eastman Aventa™ Renew has 99+% sustainable content, composed of 57% bio-content including sustainably sourced* cellulosic (wood-pulp) material plus 43% certified** recycled content from hard-to-recycle plastic waste diverted from landfills, giving Earth Smart™ products a uniquely responsible beginning-of-life.

“Earth Smart™ straws look and perform like conventional plastic straws,” notes Fran Rizzo, Director of Marketing at D&W Fine Pack, “and they are the first straws that have commercially compostable and biodegradable certifications, while helping divert plastics out of landfills – all at the same time. An environmentally friendly choice with great performance.”

“Unlike conventional plastics, Aventa™ Renew materials are made with ingredients that biodegrade in compost, soil, water, and marine environments and are naturally consumed by microorganisms, leaving no remaining microplastics” said David Nelson, Director of Eastman’s Biodegradable Platform, adding “We are excited to work with D&W Fine Pack to deliver truly sustainable solutions for the foodservice market without compromising the consumer experience”.

Earth Smart™ clear straws are available in 7.75″ and 10.25″ long jumbo (.209″ diameter) sizes, for sodas, juices, milk, iced tea and similar cold drinks, and 8.5″ and 10.25″ long jumbo (.275″ diameter) sizes for thick drinks such as freezes and smoothies.

*Eastman holds the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) Chain of Custody certification (license code FSC-C140711), representing the traceability of its wood-based raw materials.
**calculated using ISCC Plus (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) mass-balance.

On June 24, D&W Fine Pack LLC announced the appointment of Gary Rehwinkel as new Chief Executive Officer, replacing Keith Maib, who served as the company’s interim Chief Executive for the past year.

Watch Our Interview with Gary Rehwinkel.

Mr. Rehwinkel is a proven rigid packaging industry leader, having served in top positions at several major food packaging companies in both the U.S. and Europe. He brings to D&W vast operational, product and strategic experience in the food packaging industry. He has an industry reputation for product innovation and sustainability transformation successes.

Wayne Kocourek, Chairman of D&W and Mid Oaks Investments, D&W’s majority shareholder, stated: “We are very pleased to have attracted a proven industry executive of Gary’s stature to lead D&W. We’d like to thank Keith for his leadership during this transformational period in D&W’s history, his assistance in recruiting Gary, and the orderly transition of his responsibilities to Gary.”

Keith Maib stated: “I want to thank D&W employees and leadership for their support over this past year. Under Gary’s leadership, I believe D&W will make great strides forward. I look forward to Gary and D&W’s continued success.”

Gary brings with him 30 years of executive and management experience in the food packaging industry. Early experience was with industry-leading companies like Mobil Oil, Tenneco and Pactiv, where he held senior positions in operations, engineering, business development and product innovation.

More recently, Gary has been instrumental in leading the successful strategic and operational transformation for companies in the private equity arena providing a wide range of packaging formats including rigid, flexible, labels and folding cartons. Gary joins D&W after recently leading Coveris UK Food & Consumer Packaging Division.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University.

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