Sustainability in business practices has become increasingly important to consumers in recent years. As the public becomes more informed regarding the environmental impact of manufacturing, many are making a greater effort to support companies that employ environmentally conscious practices. At Flatgoods, utilizing a sustainable business model is at the core of what we believe. Below you’ll find facts that demonstrate the amount of waste produced through normal activity, the positive effects that can result from sustainable living, and how businesses are making conscious decisions to improve both their environmental footprints and their bottom lines.
WASTE FACTS:
- Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. (cleanair.org)
- Ninety-five percent of our solid waste is disposed of in almost-filled landfills – and one out of every two of those landfills desperately needs repair to avoid leakage. (green-networld.com)
- Every year, Americans use approximately 102.1 billion plastic bags, creating tons of landfill waste. (cleanair.org)
- Americans produce enough Styrofoam cups every year to circle the earth 436 times. These cups are completely non-biodegradable, deplete the Earth’s ozone layer, waste enormous amounts of landfill, and are deadly to marine life. Ceramic mugs cost a few dollars. (sustainablelafayette.org)
RECYCLING FACTS
- One recycled bottle saves enough energy to run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution, and 50% less water pollution than making a new one. (bc.edu)
- If every American recycled one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save 25,000,000 trees per year. (bc.edu)
- Recycling a soda can saves 96 percent of the energy used to make a can from ore and produces 95 percent less air pollution and 97 percent less water pollution. (mit.edu)
- Recycling one ton of cardboard saves over nine cubic yards of landfill space. (mit.edu)
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS FACTS
- Sustainability offers innovative firms opportunities for both top and bottom line benefits. New companies and brands have been created that are entirely green-focused, such as Seventh Generation, Clorox‘s GreenWorks, and Motorola‘s Renew mobile phones. Not only are these brands bringing in millions in revenues, they are also enhancing the brand image of their parent companies. (greenbiz.com)
- GE launched its ecomagination initiative in 2005; by 2011, the company had sold $70 billion of green products and services, with $25 billion of that in 2010 alone. GE has committed to doubling its investment in its green offerings to $2 billion a year for the next five years. (environmentalleader.com)
- Walmart is investing aggressively in energy and fuel efficiency. The $500 million it’s investing in sustainability projects have a payback of four years or less and has become an incredible profit engine for the corporation. Walmart embarked on this initiative in 2005 and is now saving more than $500 million a year – all of which is driven to the bottom line. (environmentalleader.com)