Greentech Lead America: Cintas Corporation announced that it diverted more than 17 million 16.9-ounce plastic bottles from landfills in 2012 through the production of its EcoGeneration line.
This represents a 13 percent increase over the company’s 2011 totals.
Cintas also reduced greenhouse gas emissions, water and solid waste production, energy use and fuel emissions through its document management and fire protection services.
Eco-apparel from Cintas allows organizations to improve corporate image while maintaining a commitment to being green. Cintas recently launched a new corn-based apparel line and also offers apparel made from recycled polyester fiber.
The clothing saves energy and limits the use of harsh dry cleaning chemicals since many of the pieces can be laundered at home. Customers can choose from sustainable tops, bottoms, scrubs and washable tuxedos.
Cintas Document Management provides secure shredding services in which all shredded paper is recycled. In 2012, this division helped keep more than 330,000 tons of paper from being landfilled. The shredded paper is delivered to a paper mill to be repurposed as secondary paper products such as paper towels and tissue.
The process saves 7.9 million trees from being destroyed, 10.7 million BTUs of energy from being used, or the amount used to heat 118,089 homes for one year, 1.8 billion pounds of CO2 from being produced, or the equivalent of removing about 167,880 cars from roadways for one year, 7.5 billion gallons of wastewater from being produced, or the amount of water it would take to fill 11,422 swimming pools, and 6.3 million pounds of solid waste from being produced, or the equivalent of keeping 22,655 garbage truck loads from being placed into landfills.
Cintas’ fire protection division created additional sustainability savings. By incorporating lighter-weight and more fuel-efficient service vehicles into its fleet and reducing the number of round-trip service visits, more than 322,000 gallons of fuel were saved. Fire extinguisher servicing also recycled more than 325,000 aluminum and steel extinguisher valve stems.