"Will you go snag some utensils?"
“I bought a bag of ice for the party!”
“The food delivery order is here—let’s dig in!”
“I’ll replace the can liner at the end of my shift.”
These are just some of the many phrases in which you may find yourself in the presence of a Novolex product. As we celebrate ten years of Novolex, we reflect on how our packaging products have woven into customers' lives, providing packaging solutions to thousands of customers with our portfolio of brands. We attribute this milestone to our Novolex family members. Their commitment to excellence, environmental stewardship, and collaboration makes Novolex more than just a name – it's a trusted partner for life's everyday moments.
The Start of the Novolex Legacy
The Novolex story began in 2014. When Hilex® Poly, our business that manufactures and recycles plastic bags and film, began to acquire additional businesses our expanding company needed a new name that would reflect our traditions and potential. The name we chose was Novolex - a packaging brand that today is committed to providing choice, innovation, and sustainability for our customers and their consumers. In the decade that followed the adoption of the Novolex name, we have acquired or invested in 13 more businesses that today comprise One Novolex - adding complementary products to our portfolio and contributing to our sustainability story.
Our growth story continues. This year alone, we invested in the reusable packaging innovator OZZI® and acquired the assets of American Twisting, the manufacturer of twisted-paper handle used produce our Duro paper bags. We take pride in our family of brands, offering food and delivery packaging and performance solutions for business needs today while investing in more opportunities for sustainable choices for the future.
No matter what new businesses or people join the Novolex family, five values anchor what we do every day.
Put safety first every day
Safety is at the core of our culture. We continue to help create a secure workplace for our employees by using the Human Performance model to promote a proactive approach to safety, conducting 7,000 hours of training this year alone. Specifically, our Good Catch Program highlights one employee a month who goes the extra mile to work safely, coaches other employees to work safely, and provides input on where we can improve. Courtney Kuykendall and Jason Bell lead our safety efforts and recently joined the PROSAFE Solutions podcast to share insights on how our approach creates a safer, blame-free culture across plants. Chief Information Security Officer Matt Burroughs is also a prime example of the importance Novolex places on cybersecurity. As a testament to his leadership, he was named on the Chief Data Officer Magazine’s Under 40 Security Leaders 2023 list, recognizing the world’s most influential and successful cybersecurity leaders.
Behave with integrity and humility, treating everyone fairly and with respect
Novolex fosters a culture where everyone feels included regardless of identity or background. The principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) underscore our commitment to treat everyone fairly and embrace diverse opinions while also help create a workplace that mirrors the communities in which we operate. While sitting on a Novolex Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DE&I) panel, Technical Director of Waddington North America Steve Kapantais once shared how he and his team stress the importance of diverse opinions when looking at product design. During a Novolex International Women’s Day panel, Sales Director at Waddington Europe Emma Wise further represented this inclusive culture by sharing how she and the Novolex women around her encourage and support the growth of their teammates. Wealso were proud that two Novolex executives were among those honored by Plastics News in their annual Women Breaking the Mold series: Director of Sales for Heritage® Bag Kim Witte and Senior Director of Technology Donna Cartwright.
Novolex has proudly supported thousands of veterans and military spouses for the past decade.As a bronze-rated military-friendly company, Novolex shares mutual values with veteran employees, including a commitment to excellence and an affinity for teamwork. Greg Pope, a Novolex recruiter and a veteran who served in the United States Air Force, connects with veterans at job fairs, sharing opportunities that align with their unique skills and leadership experience. Greg and his fellow veterans at Novolex exemplify what it means to behave with integrity.
Embrace collaboration to support diverse opinions
Our foundation is built on strong collaboration. Directors of Innovation Harry Wilfong and John Veder explain how we encourage input from all Novolex family members—especially those closest to our products. "Innovation is about creating new solutions and improving how we make our products," says Harry. This collaborative approach helps us stay ahead of market needs while fostering a creative environment where ideas can thrive. We’ve also cultivated a brain trust with others in the manufacturing and packaging space to set high sustainability standards for the broader packaging industry. Novolex participates in the Flexible Film Recycling Alliance, is a proud member of How2Recycle® and How2Compost™, and constantly advocates for responsible legislation and standards, just to name a few of our efforts.
Understand and act on our responsibility as environmental stewards
We’re proud of our continued commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manufacturing. Each year, our incredible Novolex family works toward our goal of reducing GHG emissions by 30% by 2030. We were proud to partner with Redaptive in 2023 to implement energy-efficiency projects across several facilities and accelerate this reduction goal.
We continue to design products with sustainability in mind. We make an ongoing effort across the Novolex portfolio to innovate products for recycling, composting, and reuse. We do so by taking a holistic view of the total lifecycle of our products, using raw materials from renewable, bio-based, or post-consumer recycled sources. In the past year alone, these efforts were recognized with a top 35% sustainability rating by EcoVadis, which acknowledges the company's achievement relative to other assessed companies across its database. The company was also recognized as a finalist for the Sustainability Leaders’ Sustainable Finance Initiative Award and received the Apollo Global Management’s Sustainability Performance Award.
We’re dedicated to minimizing waste. We’re making strides in identifying additional waste reduction opportunities and continuously improving our waste reduction data so we can better track our efforts. This past year, our waste partner, Casella, recognized the company with the annual Casella Sustainability Award for our leadership, innovation, and collaboration in reducing waste and advancing the circular economy.
Approach every task with a commitment to excellence, winning, and entrepreneurial mindset
The next decade of Novolex will be defined by excellence and a growth mindset. This past decade of growth, success, and innovation is all thanks to the dedication of our Novolex family. Their creativity and commitment have been instrumental in shaping Novolex into a leader in packaging solutions that it is today. Our family has fueled innovation, forged strong customer relationships, and set high standards for our sustainability goals. We are grateful for our best-in-class team who will continue to lead and innovate for our customers and their consumers in the years ahead. Happy Anniversary!