• This month, Kane County Connects will highlight the organizations that are working to conserve and protect our local environment. Check out this “Countdown to Earth Day” feature every day from now until April 22 to learn more about the people and projects that are helping to improve sustainability throughout the Fox Valley.
  

An Elgin company that has invested $1.2 million in a geothermal energy system will be honored Tuesday with the city’s highest award for local environmental efforts.

Elgin Mayor David Kaptain will present the Sustainability Honor Roll award to Multifilm Packaging Corporation at the Elgin Sustainability Commission meeting at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, at City Hall (150 Dexter Court). All city board and commission meetings are open to the public.

The Elgin Sustainability Commission nominates and recognizes individuals, businesses, organizations and educational programs for their efforts in helping Elgin become a sustainable community. The award is given out biannually, typically in April and October of each year. Nominations are welcomed by the public and may be submitted at any time of year at cityofelgin.org/greenaward.

Headquartered in Elgin, Multifilm Packaging Corporation is a manufacturer of flexible packaging solutions for the food, beverage, and confectionery industries.

Environmental stewardship is important to Multifilm and they recently demonstrated this by investing $1.2 million into installing a geothermal energy system. Multifilm uses this technology not only to cool its machinery, but also to heat and cool its entire facility, resulting in lower energy usage and a savings of approximately $200,000 annually.

“This one-of-a-kind system is unique in North America and has allowed us to lower our cooling costs by about 85 percent — a tremendous result,” said Chief Executive Officer Olle Mannertorp.

Multifilm was the first manufacturing plant in Illinois to deploy this technology. The company has been a zero waste-to-landfill facility since 2011 and constantly works to reduce their environmental impact. Multifilm also installed two 240-volt Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations in its parking lot.

“We are so excited to honor a company that leads the way with the example of their excellent stewardship and forethought,” said Sustainability Commission Chairperson Laura Knoerr. “I hope that, eventually, all businesses will adopt this attitude. Our community will be an awesome place to live for years to come when sustainability becomes the norm.”

This is the third Sustainability Honor Roll award since the program’s inception in 2015. The first recipient was Elgin High School teacher, Deb Perryman. The second recipient was active community member, Carl Missele.

For more information or questions regarding the Sustainability Honor Roll award, contact the Sustainability Commission Liaison, Molly Center at 847-931-5613 or center_m@cityofelgin.org.

SOURCE: city of Elgin news release

About Multifilm Packaging

About the City of Elgin, IL

Located 35 miles northwest of Chicago and home to more than 108,000 people, Elgin is an award-winning All American City and one of the fastest-growing communities in Kane County. “The City in the Suburbs” offers exceptional opportunities that include cultural arts, entertainment and recreation. For more information, visit the city’s website or connect on Facebook, Twitter (@ElginIL), Instagram, LinkeIn, YouTube and Pinterist.

About the Kane County Division of Environmental & Water Resources

The Kane County Division of Environmental & Water Resources develops, evaluates, and implements programs to protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents and the environment. These programs include the countywide Stormwater Management program, the Kane County Recycles recycling and waste recovery programs, the electric aggregation program, the Sustain Kane program, and other resource conservation and environmental projects.​​​​