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Boca Raton, FL - NextLife, one of the nation's leading sustainability innovators for both products and solutions, recently announced the formation of a unique product development partnership with Cascade Engineering, a multi-business manufacturer and marketer of plastics solutions, to bring a new portfolio of sustainable products to leading brands, distributors and retailers nationwide. The multi-year deal will focus on the development and commercialization of a new line of plastic industrial products, all made in part from post-consumer recycled materials. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The companies' product manufacturing process will involve the diversion from landfills of thousands of tons of plastic waste – including polybags, stretch wrap and hangers – and transforming these items into durable new merchandise for NextLife's customers. The NextLife-branded product line will feature an array of plastic industrial products produced by Cascade Engineering that will initially include waste containers of all shapes and sizes, and corresponding liners, recycling bins, and pallets. The new, competitively priced product line will be available for order beginning in early 2010.

The alliance will leverage the complementary strengths and assets of both partners, including Cascade Engineering's long history of innovative plastics design, engineering and manufacturing and NextLife's well-established relationships with some of America's leading consumer brands, distributors and retailers, as well as the company's strong sales and marketing capabilities. In addition NextLife will provide its mark of quality, significant environmental expertise and high-performance, post-consumer recycled resin to the partnership. Both companies will contribute their unique expertise in the area of sustainability.

"Cascade is a pioneer in sustainable business practices and brings their commitment to the triple bottom line to everything they do, making them the perfect partner to bring truly sustainable, high-quality industrial products to market," said NextLife president, Lonnie Chenkin. "This new line represents the next generation of industrial product development, reducing waste and giving plastics their ‘NextLife.'"

"We have worked diligently over many years to create a business strategy fundamentally focused on driving innovation through sustainability – from the products we bring to market to the partnerships we form," said Fred P. Keller, Cascade Engineering's chairman and CEO. "We look forward to our collaboration with NextLife, as our complementary strengths and shared passion for sustainability will enable us to provide a unique array of solutions to customers who recognize they have the opportunity to make a positive impact in the environmental arena."

One of the partnership's particular strengths will be its ability to ensure the sustainable attributes of its product line. Cascade's ability to manufacture according to NextLife's strict guidelines for "green" product development was a key factor underlying the formation of the new alliance. These guidelines will include a lifecycle assessment for each and every product manufactured, and the infusion of at least 25% NextLife-certified, post-consumer recycled plastic resin into each design.

SOURCE: NextLife