普利茅斯阿姆斯特朗路 100 号的 850 块太阳能电池板、一个巨大的真空收集系统、新的 LED 照明装置和一堆蓝色垃圾箱有什么共同之处？
它们都是Flexo Concepts"走向green"努力的一部分。
今天，我们将与工程经理、幕后人物约翰-费里斯（John Ferris）进行对话，了解这些变化背后的故事，以及他如何在Flexo Concepts 的可持续发展方面发挥领导作用。
约翰，请介绍一下Flexo Concepts 为减少碳足迹所做的一些工作。
首先，Flexo Concepts 安装了 太阳能可再生能源系统 去年，我们公司和楼内其他租户使用的能源全部来自于这栋楼。我们公司 
该项目包括屋顶上的 850 块电池板、40 台逆变器以及将能源连接到大楼和电网所需的所有材料，历时五个月完成。我们可以自豪地说，现在我们的整个设施都实现了能源独立！
此外，两年前，我们为整个设施配备了 更高效的 LED 照明. The scope of the project consisted of all Flexo Concepts’ manufacturing and administrative space as well as the parking lot and other common areas of the building complex. Every bulb in the office areas was exchanged for an LED lamp and all lighting equipment in the shop and common areas was replaced with new fixtures that contain LED lamps.
您能否介绍一下Flexo Concepts 在可持续发展实践方面引领行业发展的一些不太明显的方式？
One of my primary responsibilities as the engineering manager is to look for ways to develop products using materials and processes that don’t have a negative impact on the environment. Our R&D team and material suppliers work closely together to create polymer doctor blade materials that not only deliver performance to printers but also offer eco-friendly options to help our customers meet their sustainability goals. One of the criteria we use to select new materials and material combinations for testing is the eco-friendliness of the polymerizing methods. For example, the main polymer used to make our TruPoint Green® doctor blade is created from carbon monoxide that’s recaptured from a steel mill. If this vapor were released into the atmosphere, it would break down into carbon dioxide which is a well-known greenhouse gas.
Another example is the procedures we have in place to reduce, reuse and recycle waste throughout the company. Flexo Concepts recycles 100% of its manufacturing cardboard waste and has placed blue recycling bins at every desk and in common areas to collect office waste and food packaging. But, in addition to these more “typical” recycling practices, we have installed a central trim collection system in the manufacturing area to consolidate blade material waste. The system consists of a network of pipes from each point of plastic chip generation connected to a centralized suction machine. (As an added benefit, we found the system significantly reduced electricity usage by replacing the use of higher-amperage and landfill-disposable shop vacs at individual workstations.) The waste is then made available to be reused as filler by other industries.
约翰，请解释一下业内其他公司如何采用这一计划。
Any company can install a solar system, LED lighting and recycling bins in their facilities. But our efforts reach beyond the bricks and mortar of our facility to the printing industry as a whole. Our customers choose plastic doctor blades in part because they help reduce their carbon footprint. Producing steel is a highly energy-intensive process that uses up large quantities of fossil fuels and releases a significant amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Producing plastic uses much less energy, emits smaller volumes of greenhouse gases, and has lower transportation requirements due to local sourcing of raw materials and its relatively lighter weight. Plastic blades, such as our TruPoint Orange® doctor blade for the tag and label market, also lasts longer than steel in the press, which results in less start-up waste and fewer order deliveries. We believe, by setting this example, we can inspire other organizations in the industry to turn to their supply chains to source more eco-friendly components.
你们的方法有何独特之处？
Our desire is to not only pursue environmental responsibility for our company but also help our customers achieve their sustainability goals is what makes our approach different. To our knowledge, we are the only global doctor blade manufacturer that uses 100% solar carbon-free energy to power its entire facility and the only blade manufacturer that uses recaptured carbon monoxide as a feedstock in our products.
虽然每家公司都希望自己能够自称为 "green"，但我们认为，在减少能源依赖、提高效率以及在整个组织内回收和再利用废物方面，我们已经做得越来越好。由于 "随手丢弃 "的生活文化、有限的回收利用以及无法在环境中分解，塑料作为一种材料，在社会中已经形成了负面形象。在一个主要使用钢材（有时被称为 "地球上最可回收的材料"）的行业中，作为塑料刮刀的制造商，我们正努力通过宣传我们的运营和产品的 "green"优势来改变这种负面形象。
谢谢你，约翰！
[Read how we were awarded the “Calvin Frost Environmental Leadership Award” by the Tag and Label Manufacturers Institute in October 2018!]
了解塑料刮刀和钢刮刀对环境的影响：
