Saunders Partners with EPA to get 'WasteWise'
Saunders Manufacturing of Readfield, Me., a manufacturer of clipboards, aluminum form holders and storage boxes, has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's WasteWise program.
This voluntary program ensures that its certified members are continually working to do what they can to prevent unnecessary waste. Saunders has committed to do just that—the company will buy recycled products, use only the material needed to get the job done, and then recycle what cannot be prevented.
Saunders is a certified small business committed to environmentally sustainable and socially responsible business practices in its processes, products, and packaging. Throughout the last few years, the company has been taking steps to "green" its business. According to Kelley Ross, human resource manager, "Saunders has always made preservation of the environment a high priority, the WasteWise program just allows us to continue to push ourselves to do more."
In late 2008, Saunders began a process to switch its U.S.-made virgin aluminum products to recycled aluminum, moving away from a chemical cleaning and finishing process. This alone reduced approximately 21,000 lbs of non-hazardous sludge. In addition, the company is reusing and reducing the amount of packaging material, increasing employee awareness and education, and buying recycled products.