TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2017 /CNW/ - In a landmark achievement for Ontario's manufacturing sector, the GLAD plant in Orangeville is celebrating its 50th year in operation this year.
"It is a unique milestone certainly in Ontario, if not Canada, for a manufacturing plant to stay operating that long," says Peter Reynolds, plant manager at the Clorox Company of Canada's GLAD plant in Orangeville. "But it's more than just celebrating the fact that we've been around 50 years, it's all about the people, the sense of pride they have in the workplace and in the products that they make."
While the plant has seen employees retire over the years, one thing has remained constant: their commitment to the Orangeville community.
"Our employees today and employees in the past take a lot of pride in the GLAD name," says Reynolds. Beyond the economic spillover – the plant employs 110 – the Orangeville GLAD plant has donated over $168,000 both corporately and through employees to community organizations and causes over the past 10 years.
"Obviously, employees tend to support things closest to their hearts but also closest to their community," says Reynolds.
As part of the Clorox Company of Canada's Gift Campaign, employees can give through payroll deductions and the company will match that same amount of donations to a registered charity of the employee's choice.
"GLAD's products play an important role in everyday life and the way we divert and manage waste," says Mike Pilato, General Manager, Clorox Company of Canada. "Fifty years is a long time and brings with it a profound commitment to this community. The Orangeville plant is a proud part of the GLAD and Clorox Company of Canada story."
The Orangeville plant has won numerous safety and quality awards over its 50-year history manufacturing both indoor and outdoor garbage bags as well as cling wrap™ for both Canadian and U.S. markets. The plant is also the sole supplier of Glad's compostable products across North America and one of two Clorox facilities with a Zero waste designation. As leaders in innovation around waste diversion, GLAD collaborates with municipalities to maximize their waste diversion goals.
"We're not as big as our sister sites, we don't have economies of scale – so we have to be great at other things," says Reynold. "We focus heavily on safety and quality… it's a differentiator for us."
The garbage bag has a lengthy history in Canada. It was created in 1950 by Canadian inventors Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen, intended for commercial use. In the 1960s, the Union Carbide Company bought the idea and began manufacturing the product for use in the home under the name GLAD trash bags.
In 1971, James Guillet, a University of Toronto chemist, developed a plastic material that decomposes when left in direct sunlight paving the way for compostable and more sustainable, waste management solutions which have been an important part of GLAD and the Clorox Company of Canada's mission ever since.
SOURCE GLAD Canada
Katherine Hamilton, Devon Consulting - [email protected]; Adrienne Fraser, Devon Consulting - [email protected]
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