KI strives to be a responsible corporate citizen within its communities through employee involvement in community organizations and clean-up and recycling activities. Richard J. Resch, president and chief executive officer of KI, and his family, have made significant contributions also. Some examples of this stewardship include:

• KI employees clean up a stretch of highway as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program.
• Funding of the Resch Conservation Wing at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary by the Resch family.
• Working with local agencies on eradication of an invasive wetland plant species (Purple Loosestrife) found in a wetland at KI's Green Bay, Wisconsin facility.
• Funding a paved trail along the East River through Bellevue and adjoining Allouez in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area.

An Environment Re-Commitment
As 1994 came to a close, KI re-committed itself to reduce impacts on the environment and operating costs through pollution prevention activities. Through four of these programs, the manufacturer addressed waste minimization, recycling and the use of alternative non-hazardous materials.

In 1995, the Green Bay facility kicked off this ambitious endeavor by investing $750,000 on capital environmental improvements, and $100,000 on projects, consultants and employee education. From the company’s perspective, these investments provide a payback as KI becomes more profitable through more proficient manufacturing methods, and a reduction in the money spent on wastes, air emissions and effluent discharges.

Less Waste on the Way
KI has more waste reduction efforts under way. For instance, liquid color waste from test runs on customer-specific colored plastic parts has been eliminated by upgrading the color standard system used with the liquid color supplier.

Waste generated from an electroplating process has been changed from hazardous to non-hazardous, through the introduction of a new rack coating. Other advances in the electroplating process include a nickel recovery system, which saves chemical costs and reduces disposal expenses. This process also allows KI to recycle water in the electroplating process, saving over a half-million gallons of water annually. Finally, KI is updating its wastewater pre-treatment system, with potential waste reduction savings of $95,000 per year.