By Michael Lauzon
CORRESPONDENT
Published: July 7, 2014 2:18 pm ET
Updated: July 7, 2014 2:20 pm ET
Mark Daniels
A corporate environmental advocate has won the 2014 Leader of the Year Award from the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Mark Daniels provided support and guidance during the 2012 City of Toronto plastic bag ban and served on CPIA’s plastic bag task force. He is senior vice president of sustainability & environmental policy for major film and bag company Hilex Poly Co. LLC of Hartsville, S.C.
CPIA said in a July 7 news release that Daniels has more than 25 years of experience in the plastic retail carry-out bag industry.
“He works relentlessly at defending the plastic industry while ensuring that factual information is given to the public and government bodies that will allow them to make informed decisions,” CPIA stated. “Daniels is a true ambassador of recycling and works to improve the products his company manufactures to ensure they use and increase the amount of recycled content in them.”
Daniels is chairman of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, a division of the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. of Washington D.C., and sits on the boards of directors for the Western Plastics Association, the Florida Retail Federation and Texas Retail Association.
CPIA feted Daniels and other award winners at a dinner held June 19 in Toronto.
Mark Lichtblau won CPIA’s Plastics Innovator Award. He is corporate vice president of Haremar Plastics Manufacturing Ltd., a Vaughan, Ontario, custom polyethylene film producer for consumer and industrial markets.
The Plastics Sustainability Award was given to three companies. Polyform Cellular Plastics Inc. is a Granby, Quebec, developer of sustainable technology to use expanded plastics in concrete building products. Cascades Inc. of Kingsey Falls, Quebec, introduced expanded polystyrene meat trays with 25 percent recycled content. Polynova Industries Inc. of Richmond, British Columbia, was an early adopter of biodegradable additives in polyfilm bags and recently developed bio-marine waste blended into polyethylene.
CanPlast Awards for industry service were given to Cathy Cirko, retired vice president of CPIA; Charles Russell, market manager for bag, liner and wrap for Nova Chemicals Corp. of Calgary, Alberta; and Michel Iliesco, marketing and business development specialist with Cascades.
A Lifetime Achievement Award was won by Patrick Moore, an ecology and environmental consultant whose 40 years of experience in the field included co-founding Greenpeace. | 
