August - 20218 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSIN MY OPINIONThe Future of Plastics is Our PeopleBy Ben Mascarello, Chief Operating Officer, NovolexOver the past year, safety became our customer's #1 concern, born out of a desire to protect their own health and the health of those around them, and we responded. From producing plastic PPE gowns for frontline workers to individual "bento" boxed meals for kids in schools, safe and sanitary packaging became our top priority March 2020 onward. Now, with the COVID vaccine widely available, and a return to anew normalcy on the horizon, sustainability is making its way back into the public's consciousness in full force. More and more, large corporations--from Starbucks to Amazon to Walmart--are envisioning a future where safety and sustainability go hand in hand. For those of us in manufacturing, we too, are innovating from within. And with these goals in mind, we are working to further embed circularity at the heart of business operations. From the rise of compostable products of every kind to my company's own Bag-2-Bag® program, which has made a drop-off bins for used plastic bags and films accessible within 10 miles of most American homes, Novolex and the broader plastics industry are no strangers to deploying innovation to protect the environment. At our facilities, we've used our industrial material recycling capabilities to convert post-consumer waste into a reusable resin. But our ability as manufacturers to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic products in increasingly innovative ways relies critically on a solution under our very noses: our employee talent pool. Part of ensuring that manufacturers stay up to date--or even ahead of the curve--in a rapidly evolving industry and consumer climate is identifying, developing, and retaining our talent, especially from within. But even more than that, I strongly believe that it's our people--critically thinking and forward-looking individuals throughout the business--that are key to providing the solutions and technologies to realize a greener tomorrow. At Novolex, we view sustainability as three pillars in our business strategy: our products, our operations, and Ben Mascarello
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