Go Green (or Go Home)!

Eco-Snugz?

The biggest enemy of the environment may not be the corporate polluter, the giant automobile maker or even big oil. The biggest enemy of the environment is the individual who throws up his or her hands and says, “I can’t make a difference.” Luckily for the environment, Charley Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing at Salt Lake City-based SnugZ USA, is not such an individual. SnugZ USA is a perfect example of going green from the ground up. From car pooling to cardboard bundling, the company is taking a practical approach, one that many companies and individuals would do well to notice. “I wish more people would be environmentally proactive because they wanted to, because they thought 10, 15, 50 years down the road,” said Johnson. In the end, not all companies will be able to make sweeping changes, so taking an incremental approach seems prudent. So, is using overrun lanyards to bundle new products or using recycled neoprene as a way to clean up in-house inks going to change the planet? Well, yes, it just might.

Better Business Means Being Green at Logomark

Speak with Damian Want, senior vice president at Logomark, Tustin, Calif., and it quickly becomes obvious he knows the advantages going green can bring to a large company. Far beyond the traditional support for car poolers (a program the company utilizes, by the way), Logomark has an environmental commitment with very healthy, business-based roots. And in California, keeping high environmental standards is a must. It all begins with Logomark’s new state-of-the-art facility. Built a little more than a year and a half ago, the “smart” factory takes into account many aspects and traditional shortfalls of the promotional products industry. The innovations are both efficient and sensible. For example, sensors installed throughout the factory floor recognize when an area is in use and when it’s idle. Lights are then automatically turned on and off accordingly to give Logomark a built-in way to save on energy costs. Secondly, according to Want, “The whole building is insulated and sealed up to minimize our use of power.” In turn, all exhaust, fumes or particles must pass through a large filtering system before being released outside or returned to the factory. This allows Logomark to vent air that is cleaner than the air outside. Want also explained, “There is a quality benefit to handling all the particulate, dust and fumes in a responsible manner.” In short, the fewer particles floating in the air, the better quality of printing. “It’s a win-win,” said Want. Also of interest, the company’s strong commitment to recycling means it actually recycles more waste material than it discards. This is done through a combination of office-based recycling bins and the investment in an industrial cardboard bundler that allows Logomark to compact cardboard into two-ton bales and resell it. In fact, Want added, “The large initial cost of the cardboard compactor paid for itself in the recycling rebates we get.” In terms of running a green business, Want sees only an upside. “It’s not a negative at all. We’re saying that there are sound business reasons in terms of increased quality, healthy workers and lower costs in doing business this way,” he concluded.