Month: April 2024

FISHERS, Ind., April 18, 2024 /3BL/ – Land Betterment Corporation’s ekō Solutions, a leader in sustainable shipping container upcycling, announces the launch of a new innovative outdoor entertainment solution to its line of products, providing cities, event spaces and restaurant owners unparalleled flexibility and customization of their outdoor spaces.

The new outdoor entertainment solution combines functionality, sustainability, and aesthetics to create an inviting atmosphere for patrons while offering owners of the space a versatile and cost-effective option to expand their existing seating capacity.

The unit, designed and manufactured at ekō Solutions’ state-of-the-art facility in Decatur, Alabama, can be fully customized to meet the exact needs of the space.

“We’re excited to introduce our outdoor entertainment solutions to commercial customers seeking customized and adaptable alternatives to traditional entertainment and dining spaces,” said Peter Rodriguez, President of ekō Solutions. “These structures expand the existing footprint and are easy to relocate. Our structures not only support eco-friendly practices but also offer unmatched versatility and durability, enabling our customers to create inviting outdoor environments that resonate with their brand identity.”

Ideal for events, parks, sidewalk and roadside dining and other outdoor settings, ekō Solutions’ latest offering provides a turnkey solution for business owners looking to expand their seating capacity and enhance the overall experience for their guests.

Key features of ekō Solutions’ outdoor entertainment solutions include:

Structure: Crafted from 20’ / 40’ x 8’ x 8’ ISO shipping containers, the structure boasts a 36” reinforced wall with 11-gauge carbon steel tube, ensuring durability and longevity. Additional steel attachment beams are provided for easy mounting of lighting, fans, heaters, and other amenities, allowing restaurant owners to customize their outdoor space according to their needs.

Flooring: The removable marine-grade OSB coated with a polyurea floor liner ensures a sturdy and resilient foundation, ideal for high-traffic areas.

Electrical: Equipped with a 100 Amp electrical service and six exterior outlets, the outdoor dining solution offers convenience and accessibility for powering various equipment and appliances. Lighting options are also available upon request, allowing for enhanced ambiance during evening dining experiences.

Overhead Covering: A removable overhead awning structure provides shelter from the elements, with options for both corrugated roof panels and fabric awning materials to suit different aesthetic preferences and weather conditions.

Vertical Wall Panels: Restaurant owners have the choice between retractable and permanent wall panels to enclose the unit. Permanent options feature durable plexiglass material, while retractable panels offer flexibility with vinyl pull shades, allowing for seamless transition between indoor and outdoor dining experiences.

As ekō Solutions rapidly expands, it continues to offer a range of sustainable and energy-efficient dwelling solutions, including mobile workstations, bathrooms, dog grooming units, containerized food stands, farms, hunting retreats, and homes. These sustainable and energy-efficient structures combine contemporary design with practicality.

To learn more about ekō Solutions’ products, visit – www.ekosolutionsllc.com

About ekō Solutions 
ekō Solutions, a Land Betterment Company, is a sustainable development company utilizing innovative, low-cost, up-cycled shipping container structures to provide durable, high-end solutions to the building marketplace while also maintaining the ability to be utilized in a mobile environment. ekō Solutions uses innovative ecological structures to replace legacy inefficient and ineffective methods of living, growing and working. The sustainable craftsmanship of our up-cycled shipping container structures is what separates us from the alternatives. Our structures are suitable for residential, crisis recovery, commercial, farming and recreation use. To stay up to date on our innovations and get an insider’s view of our daily operations follow us on our social platforms – Facebook LinkedIn X Instagram Tik Tok and YouTube.

About Land Betterment Corporation 
Land Betterment Corporation, an Indiana Benefit Corporation and Certified B Corp, is an environmental solutions company focused on fostering a positive impact through up-cycling former coal mining and industrial sites to create sustainable community development and job creation. The Company utilizes a complete solution-based lifecycle program to restore and rehabilitate the environment and revitalize communities in need of change and opportunity. Land Betterment accomplishes this by identifying un-reclaimed, run-down and neglected coal mining sites, fixing the environment through reclamation and remediation, and then repurposing the land to support a sustainable business that serves the community. Land Betterment firmly believes that with real solutions it is possible for restoration of impacted areas to live side-by-side long term employment, while building sustainable and safe surroundings for communities and our planet. For more information visit landbetterment.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, X and LinkedIn.

Contacts: 
Mark LaVerghetta 
317.537.0492 ext. 0 
Chief Governance Officer, Corporate Finance 
info@landbetterment.com

Stephanie Conzelman 
207.205.0790 
Stakeholder Engagement Director 
info@landbetterment.com

Zak Owens 
Fleur de Lis Communications 
502.386.5704 
zak@fdlcomms.com

The Manufacturing Institute – the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers – announced that Susy Zazueta of Whirlpool Corporation’s Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, operations has been recognized as a 2024 Women MAKE Awards honoree. This annual national awards program honors women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in their careers and represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite.

“I have worked hard to build a reputation for making things happen, and the manufacturing environment values anyone who gets things done,” said Zazueta, plant director at Whirlpool Corp.’s Ramos Arizpe operations. “I look for opportunities where I can continue to guide, support and light a path for all who wish to travel forward with his or her career in manufacturing. Manufacturing is a meaningful field where the individual contributions blend into exceptional results, and those results deeply impact our communities and our consumers.”

I look for opportunities where I can continue to guide, support and light a path for all who wish to travel forward with his or her career in manufacturing. Manufacturing is a meaningful field where the individual contributions blend into exceptional results, and those results deeply impact our communities and our consumers.”

The Women MAKE Awards are part of the MI’s Women MAKE America initiative, which is the nation’s marquee program to close the gender gap in manufacturing. Women account for about half of the U.S. labor force but represent less than one-third of the manufacturing workforce. Women MAKE America aims to build the 21st-century manufacturing workforce by empowering and inspiring women in the industry.

“The Women MAKE Awards showcase the vibrant, diverse and rewarding careers in the industry and how women have excelled as manufacturing leaders, paying it forward to inspire and uplift the next generation to pursue opportunities in modern manufacturing,” said Caterpillar Group President of Resource Industries and Women MAKE Awards Chair Denise Johnson.

The Women MAKE Awards gala honors 100 industry leaders (“Honorees”) and 30 rising stars (“Emerging Leaders ”) who have been nominated by their companies as the “go-to” women, recognized for their innovation, dedication, contributions and good counsel. Honorees are further rewarded with access to a two-day leadership development conference in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to the evening awards gala. Since its launch in 2011, the program has honored and recognized more than 1,400 Honorees and Emerging Leaders.

“I was so excited to hear that Susy will be recognized for her many achievements,” said Dale Laws, Whirlpool Corp. VP NAR Manufacturing. “Susy brings a level of infectious energy, passion and commitment to her work. She is a role model as a leader and a subject matter expert in her field. She is well deserving of this selection as a Women MAKE America Honoree.

“With more than 600,000 open jobs in manufacturing today and the continued need to fill millions more jobs by the end of the decade, it’s critical for manufacturers to engage the largest underrepresented pool of talent: women,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “The 2024 Women MAKE Awards gala promises to be an inspirational, powerful event, where some of the brightest stars in manufacturing will be recognized for the incredible work they have done—both to grow our industry and to uplift others like them.”

On April 18, the Manufacturing Institute will recognize 130 recipients of the Women MAKE Awards in Washington, D.C. The evening will highlight the story of each Honoree and Emerging Leader, including their leadership and accomplishments in manufacturing.

View original content here.

Originally published in the SEE Impact Report 2022

Arnaud Brunet serves as Executive Director, Portfolio and Sustainability, for SEE in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. With decades of experience in the food and packaging industries, he leads the food portfolio team in developing and commercializing innovative packaging solutions while also coordinating advocacy and sustainability strategies in the region.

What are some of EMEA’s most pressing sustainability packaging challenges, and how is SEE innovating to help solve them?

The European region has been a leader in developing and implementing policies that drive dramatic changes in business and society, with a goal to improve overall sustainability. Beginning with the European Green Deal, approved in 2020, a set of policy initiatives were put in place. More recently, policy changes are being considered as part of the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, an initiative to ensure all packaging is reusable or recyclable in an economically feasible way by 2030.

Our industry’s challenge is that we do not yet have harmonization on packaging requirements, especially across countries in Europe and in the U.K. Without a common set of design guidelines, we need to develop packaging materials to comply with different standards while keeping product protection at the forefront of what we do.

SEE is innovating to meet regulatory requirements while also looking to improve our customers’ sustainability. We are guided by three key focus areas:

1. Product protection. Whether protection against damage, or prevention of food waste—our packaging reduces overall carbon footprint impacts.

2. Designing for recycling. By simplifying our packaging designs, we are also making our solutions easier to recycle.

3. Circularity. Working with customers and suppliers, we are driving innovation in recovering and recycling materials, with an emphasis on chemical recycling.

How is SEE meeting the sustainability needs of EMEA customers?

We lead our industry with solutions that provide outstanding product protection, use minimum amounts of packaging, and enable our customers to bring automation and digital innovations into their operations. A good example is our CRYOVAC® brand barrier display overwrap film with post-consumer recycled content. These ultra-thin films are used to overwrap oxygen-sensitive foods like cheese and processed meats. The solution uses the thinnest film on the market (which reduces the overall amount of plastic), offers an optimized oxygen barrier to extend shelf life while meeting recycling requirements, and incorporates 30% recycle content that is compliant for food applications.

We are also innovating our shrink barrier bag offerings. These novel food packaging solutions provide product protection and sustainability and are helping to make the switch from heavy thermoform packs to lightweight shrink vacuum bags.

In addition, we are helping our customers measure and report improvements in their environmental impact through a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. By being able to quantify benefits of the packaging and the savings from waste reduction, we provide our customers with confidence that their sustainability efforts are making a difference.

How is your team working to address circularity in the region?

Together with a cheese processor, leading retailer, chemical recycler, and polymer manufacturer, in 2020, SEE’s EMEA team led the industry in sustainability by conducting a trial to prove that closed-loop recycling is feasible for complex soft plastic film. Since then, we have expanded efforts and engaged with other customers and partners to scale efforts for collection, recycling, and reuse of materials—with an emphasis on expanding the type of packaging materials that are collected. We have a vision for circularity that combines the material efficiency of flexible packaging with the innovation of chemical recycling to make packaging that can be remade.

How is SEE collaborating in EMEA to help customers achieve the most sustainable impact?

In many ways, carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions are the currency of sustainability. We use life-cycle assessments that include both packaging and the packed product and work with our customers to minimize overall impacts. Through product design, we achieve outstanding packaging performance.

But just as we focus on design for performance, we are focusing on design for circularity—by anticipating future regulatory requirements and working to implement design standards to make sustainability easier to understand for customers and consumers.

The key is “design for performance” and “design for circularity” have to be done together. We work with association partners to emphasize how we must simultaneously protect the packaged product while designing our packaging solutions to be collected, sorted, and recycled. Keeping these design elements in balance is critical to prevent food waste while making sure the packaging has a means to be recovered after use.

Read the full SEE Impact Report 2022