Norfolk, NY based APC Paper Group is a manufacturer of products constructed from 100% recycled paper 100% of the time with facilities in both New York and New Hampshire. Each of their plants leverages upgraded, state of the art cleaning equipment to efficiently cleanse material that would otherwise be bound for landfills and render high-quality paper products ready for the converting industry to shape their output into new consumer products. These products include paper rolls and materials used for food packaging.
The Food Safety Modernization Act or “FSMA” was signed into law in 2011 and brought extensive reforms to the industry which impacted rules around packaging of food products. At nearly the same time, the FTC issued revised “Green Guides” providing rules on claiming a product is made from recycled materials. In order to ensure compliance to this rule set, APC recently sought out the expertise and guidance of CITEC, a not-for-profit business consulting organization part of the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and the MEP National Network.
CITEC Business Advisor Kate Chepeleff, a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual who has studied and understands the requirements of the FSMA was able to work with APC to meet Good Manufacturing Pratice (GMP) standards associated with FSMA as well as develop and implement a Food Safety Plan. Her audits of their system contributed to APC retaining their largest client.
Results included:
- $7,770,000 in retained sales
- $2,890,000 in new investment and sustainability
- Confirmation of their right to advertise compliance to label their materials with “80% recycled material”
“APC needed to ensure that it was compliant with FSMA Standards and its Environmental Marketing representations. Kate Chepeleff of CITEC has been instrumental in helping APC meet these high standards and representations. Her work with our staff has brought us to a new level. ” — Tom Moore, President
Read the full story at the NIST website here.
