VIDEO: TOOLING UP – Eco-Friendly Safety Solutions

NARRATOR: This video is brought to you by MCR Safety, in the business of protecting people and sustainable stewardship. If you're looking for real world insights, tips from leading industry experts, the latest trends in products and technology, you've come to the right place. From MSC Industrial Supply, this is Tooling Up.

TONI NEARY: Hi and welcome to Tooling Up. I'm your host, Toni Neary. We are so happy that you're here today. If it's your first time joining us, make sure you go ahead and click subscribe so you don't miss any episodes. Today, I'm joined by the vice president of marketing from MCR Safety, Chris Smith. And thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today, Chris.

CHRIS SMITH: Thanks Toni for having me today.

TONI NEARY: You know, most people don't get excited about safety, but I have to tell you, I am. You and I have known each other for a minute. We talked and kind of chatted a little bit. I can't believe you've been with MCR for 20 years already. So tell me a little bit about your journey and joining the team there.

CHRIS SMITH: Believe it or not, I went to college for an aviation degree and had big aspirations to become a professional pilot. And right after graduating college, I ran into an old basketball coach, which that coach actually worked at MCR Safety. He got me an interview, and in June of 2003 I started my first day at MCR Safety. And for the last 20 years, this has been my home.

TONI NEARY: Wow, and that's quite the fascinating journey, right? So to go from aviation into a career in safety is not something that you'd see every day. But I think it's interesting to see all the different pathways that people take. So tell me why. What is it about the organization that you've been over 20 years?

CHRIS SMITH: So MCR Safety has got a very unique story in the fact that the company was founded by a family. And that family put their heart, their blood, their sweat, their tears into it. And so standing behind the product and standing behind the brand is really what, what has developed the culture here at MCR Safety and the fact that everybody has a passion and that ultimate passion is protecting people through the products that we manufacture day in and day out.

TONI NEARY: I bet if we polled a thousand people about their impression of manufacturing, I think the feedback we get would potentially not be that of really positive for the environment. And I wanted to know if you would just share a little bit about what that task looks like and why it's important to you as an industry that we really do reduce that carbon footprint.

CHRIS SMITH: Yeah, so there's been a lot of progress across the landscape, the manufacturing landscape, of being more environmentally friendly. You've seen a lot of reduction in CO2 emissions. There's a lot of cleaning of the exhaust gasses and you're starting to see manufacturers in the PPE space comply with that. And then last but not least, you're starting to see a lot of materials being produced and sourced utilizing clean energy.

And so all three of those elements really help kind of play into the sustainable footprint. And we're already pulling levers right now to make sure that we hit those goals overall.

TONI NEARY: And I think sustainability can be a really broad subject. I also think there's a lot of buzzwords that people don't really understand in the industry. So when you talk about sustainability at MCR Safety, how do you really define that? What does that mean to your organization?

CHRIS SMITH: Another term that is used, a buzzword that is used a lot, is eco-friendly and eco-friendly can mean several different things. But if you if you take that eco-friendly and you run it through the lens of eco-friendly product, eco-friendly packaging and eco-friendly processes, and you can generate eco-friendly substances coming out of all three of those areas, then you can really say that you have a sustainable footprint, you know, at that point.

TONI NEARY: I think that's so helpful to know. And I think one of the big global tasks that we're seeing is reduction of and elimination of plastics. And I know MCR has discussed this as part of their initiatives. So I'm curious how those conversations started, because the goals are ambitious and it's certainly not for the faint of heart. So tell me a little bit about that.

CHRIS SMITH: Yes, definitely. One with as many products that MCR Safety has, we manufacture around 6000 products, and that is the biggest goal and the biggest undertaking that we have currently. And there are a lot of different options out there. We are currently looking at sustainable, biodegradable bags to replace traditional plastic bags. We are currently also looking at some type of recycled corrugated paper bags to replace plastic bags that can biodegrade into a landfill much faster than plastic can.

TONI NEARY: And I know that we've talked before about the moral compass and integrity and how important that is to MCR Safety. And obviously, you know, this is not an easy undertaking. So what does the internal process look like? How do you, do you have a committee or a task force that are structured to really hold MCR Safety accountable for making these changes?

CHRIS SMITH: Yes, we do. We have a committee internally that is focused on sustainability, and they're looking at it through a lens from a product process and packaging. And one of the biggest effects that we can, we can drive, change at MCR Safety is really big on the manufacturing and the process side.

TONI NEARY: I think that's awesome to look at some of the processes and let's jump a little bit more into some of those specific products that really hit some of the sustainability goals for you, the products that you've already checked off a box or two that they are, you know, working towards that sustainability.

CHRIS SMITH: Yeah, definitely. So the Ninja BNF Evolution is a perfect example of a sustainable option. It is an eco-friendly product, it's an eco-friendly packaged product and is produced in an eco-friendly process manufacturing facility. And so that's how we define sustainability. And so if a product can check off all three of those, then it truly is sustainable.

TONI NEARY: Chris, I just want to thank you for being so candid and I think it's so important that at MCR Safety, you acknowledge the fact that, you know, you're doing the crawl, walk, run and you're in a brisk walk. So if you're looking through your crystal ball and we're looking down the road, what does this truly look like for MCR Safety and your suppliers and your partners?

CHRIS SMITH: You know, five years from now, in 2028, I hope to be able to be on call just like this with you and communicate that MCR Safety is at 90%, 100% sustainable. And I think really, I really, truly think that is the direction that we will see progress being made across all aspects of eco-friendly product process and packaging.

TONI NEARY: Chris, I want to thank you so much, not just for your time today, but for the work that MCR Safety is doing just in your sustainability efforts and moving forward. I know that we're both parents, so this is important for both of us, for our future generations.

CHRIS SMITH: It was great to be on today with you and I really appreciate the time.

TONI NEARY: Well I love that conversation. And if you enjoyed our talk with Chris as well, please make sure to subscribe to our channel where you can find many more great interviews just like this one. You can also get more information on MCR Safety, the Ninja product line and their sustainable efforts at www.mscdirect.com/mcrsafety.

Thanks so much and we'll see you next time on Tooling Up.

NARRATOR: Want more insights and ideas to improve the efficiency and productivity of your operations? Check out the MSC Tooling Up video playlist to hear tips that can take your company to the next level. And subscribe to our channel so you won't miss out.