Meredith-Springfield develops eco-friendly sustainable packaging

Date: 8/21/2014

LUDLOW – Meredith-Springfield Associates Inc., a world-class plastics manufacturer specializing in extrusion blow molding and injection stretch blow molding, has been lauded by wine and spirits wholesale distributor M.S. Walker for developing sustainable packaging that will ultimately save both money and the environment.

According to John Avigian, plant manager of M.S. Walker in Somerville, the molds for glass 100-milliliter bottles were coming to the end of their life cycle and would cost a substantial amount of money for M.S. Walker to refurbish. Since sales for other larger-sized bottles increased when they were switched from glass to PET (polyethylene terephthalate), Avigian started looking for a local manufacturer willing to work with M.S. Walker to develop small plastic bottles.

“We told Meredith-Springfield that we wanted to replace our 100 ml glass bottles with plastic bottles of the same size,” Avigian said. “With smaller-sized bottles, plastic sells better. Our previous company didn’t want to get involved in making a small PET bottle for us because of our low volume request. Meredith-Springfield, by comparison, is a smaller operation and they were willing to tackle that project. I had to look around for a new company anyway, so I thought I’d look closer to home.”

Since the plastics manufacturing company was operating much closer to M.S. Walker, the distributor would ultimately save money on shipping costs in addition to the potential increase in sales the company would realize. At the beginning of the relationship with Meredith-Springfield, M.S. Walker was putting out a relatively small volume, said Avigian. Today, the output has seen a modest increase thanks to Meredith-Springfield. And although M.S. Walker had a mold cost up front, they are still realizing a small cost savings per case, said Avigian, who expects that figure to rise once the mold is paid for.

“We have 40 trucks that deliver throughout New England to liquor stores, hotels and restaurants. The plastic is half the weight of the glass,” said Avigian. “While the glass bottles were 24 pounds per case, the PET bottles are only 12 pounds per case.”

In addition to saving money, M.S. Walker is also saving the environment with its new bottles. According to Dwight Lowe, director of sales at Meredith-Springfield, 100 percent of the PET used in the new bottle is recyclable through curbside collection. And because the bottles are significantly lighter than the glass bottles M.S. Walker previously transported, their freight costs have also decreased; M.S. Walker is reducing its carbon footprint thanks to Meredith-Springfield’s technology.

For more information about Meredith-Springfield, visit www.meredithspfld.com.