Achilles USA
Photo courtesy of Achilles USA
Seeking continuous improvement across all three sectors of sustainability
For more than 40 years, Achilles has been committed to quality, service, and innovation. Loyal to our customers, suppliers, and employees, our motto and reputation is built on the best quality and customer service. In 2023 we decided to take the next step and seek continuous improvement across all three sectors of sustainability – environmental, social, and economic performance. For the last two decades, Achilles has been working on improving our BioBased products, improving our energy savings, and expanding our buy-back programs. In 2023 we were introduced to the +Vantage Vinyl verification, a sustainability initiative of the Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC) that engages companies across the entire U.S. vinyl value chain to seek environmental stewardship, social diligence, economic soundness, open communication, and collaboration.
Our Energy Savings Program
Since 2016 Achilles USA has worked with the Snohomish Public Utility District as part of the county’s Energy Savings Program. This program brought the county, our engineers, and plant managers together to find solutions to minimize the amount of energy spent through strategic energy management and custom projects. We created schedules to shutdown the baghouse/conveyors; this allowed large motors that used to run 24/7 to cut their runtime dramatically; the team reduced the temperature of calender line to save energy but still maintain the same high-quality production, and the plant manager retrofitted the plant to use the sunlight better.
Our Buy-back Program
Achilles USA actively participates in recycling by efficiently managing their in-house scrap materials and purchasing post-industrial film from specific customers. Through our commitment to sustainability, we strive to minimize waste and promote the reuse of resources. Incorporating recycled content into our products, the range of regrind content varies by weight from 0 to 50%. By adopting such practices, Achilles USA contributes to a more environmentally friendly approach, reducing the strain on raw materials while supporting a circular economy.
Our Package Return Program
We prioritize sustainable practices at Achilles and have implemented a packaging return program that allows our customers to return certain types of packaging, such as racks, pallets, and roll cores. By doing so, we are able to reuse these packaging materials for new orders instead of discarding them. This initiative reduces waste, contributes to the conservation of resources, and promotes a more environmentally friendly approach to packaging. Through our packaging return program, we strive to foster a circular economy and minimize our environmental footprint.
Washington State Clean Energy
Achilles USA is located in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in Snohomish County. Snohomish County Public Utility District’s retail fuel mix consists of 76.8% purchases from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which is nearly carbon-free power, 6.9% from its own hydroelectric dams, 6.5% from wind power, 9.5% from market purchases, and 0.3% from other renewable sources (including biogas and co-generation). The great majority of that power is generated by renewable hydroelectric projects in the Columbia River basin – a resource that has provided abundant, affordable energy to the Northwest for over 75 years.
About Achilles USA
Achilles USA is the North American manufacturing subsidiary of Achilles Corporation, a worldwide conglomerate of plastic film manufacturing. We are located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, in Everett, Washington. At our manufacturing plant, we calender, extrude, laminate, and slit polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Our plant also counts with a casting machine that casts polypropylene (CPP) and olefin films.
Achilles USA works with an extensive range of products for different industries, like graphics, industrial fabrics, medical and health care, specialty markets, stationery, automotive, and semiconductors. We are a custom manufacturer, which means that we do our own formulations and compounding. This allows us to guarantee our clients get the film they need. Our facility has two labs where we can perform a wide range of tests to ensure our product exceeds the specifications required by our clients.
Learn more about this company’s +Vantage Vinyl verification at 
