For many years, Pina Zangaro has been committed to doing everything possible to minimize our impact on the environment. We see this as not just a responsible way to conduct ourselves and our business, but as an absolute imperative. We also want our suppliers and users to do what they can, and we’re reaching in both directions to help.

Here are a few examples of what we’re doing for our environment:

Recycling

The following materials go directly from Pina Zangaro to recyclers for conversion into new materials and products: all office waste paper, all packing paper, all corrugated cartons and pallets, all glass, plastic and metal food containers, all fluorescent lighting tubes, all batteries, and all aluminum and plastic scrap.

Reuse

We reuse all of the packing materials we receive from suppliers, and we donate most of the synthetic manufacturing waste we generate (acrylic and PVC) to SCRAP, a local organization that repurposes industrial waste for local schools.

Purchasing

We require our suppliers to adhere to good environmental practices in their shipments to us. When the option exists, we buy from vendors close to us rather than those that are far away. Where possible, shipments are consolidated to reduce product miles, and we no longer allow them to ship polystyrene flow-pack to us. We recommend that you apply the same pressure to people you buy stuff from.

Packaging Materials

All of the materials we use to package shipments are either made of recycled content, recyclable or both. The cartons we ship in have an average of 59% recycled fiber content, of which 44% is post-consumer material, while the flow-pack we use, called Eco-Foam, is made of potato starch and dissolves harmlessly in water. We use paper tape rather than plastic so that our shipping materials are 100% recyclable and/or biodegradable.

Efficient supplies

We’ve installed low-wattage florescent bulbs for lighting and a water filtration system so we can drink municipal water instead of environmentally destructive bottled water. We only use recycled paper in our office and for our printed materials.

Renewable materials

More and more of our products and their packaging are made from recycled or renewable materials, and that trend will continue. Ultimately, we’d like to move to a model in which all of our products are sold with a “factory-refurbish” option so they can have multiple lives (i.e. the Cradle-to-Cradle model advocated by William McDonough).

Encouragement

We’re working hard to be environmentally responsible, but we know there’s much more for us to do. One of the ways we think we can contribute to this important movement is by encouraging you, and encouraging you to encourage others, to be environmentally responsible. We hope this Environmental Policy helps in that cause.

If you’d like to learn more about our environmental practices, or make comments or suggestions, please contact michelle@pinazangaro.com.