Cincinnati, Ohio based Valco Melton, a manufacturer of adhesive dispensing and quality inspection systems, partnered with the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) and E.H. Green School to deliver a hands-on sustainability lesson to fifth grade students as part of PPC’s “Trees Into Cartons, Cartons Into Trees” (TICCIT) program.
Valco Melton representatives Bryan Casteel, Folding Carton Manager and Jeff Pollack, National Sales Manager led the day’s presentations, walking students through how paper and paperboard products are manufactured, the role of recycling in the paperboard supply chain, and why replanting trees is essential to keeping the products people rely on every day truly renewable. Each student then potted a tree sapling inside a paperboard carton filled with soil to take home and plant with their families. Once planted, the carton itself biodegrades, completing the “trees into cartons, cartons into trees” lifecycle the program is built around.
“Most kids see paper and packaging every day without ever thinking about where it comes from. Helping them understand that these products start as trees, and that the industry depends on recycling and replanting, gives them a real connection to sustainability they can carry forward. Paper-based products are an important part of everyday life and, the next generation must understand the cycle that makes that possible,” said Bryan Casteel, Folding Carton Manager, Valco Melton.
Created by PPC in 2010, TICCIT (pronounced “ticket”) is an educational outreach program for elementary school students that highlights the renewability and sustainability of paper and paperboard packaging. The program is delivered in classrooms across the country each year around Earth Day in partnership with PPC member companies.
Valco Melton’s adhesive dispensing and vision inspection solutions are used by folding carton manufacturers worldwide to apply glue precisely and verify the quality of every carton produced. The Cincinnati-based company has a long history of community involvement in the region alongside its global footprint.
