Being sustainable is not a fad or trend at Nordic Ware. It is something we’ve been practicing for many years.
Let’s face it: we live in a world where it’s necessary to read labels and make sure that what we’re buying is safe for our families, especially when it comes to products that we cook food on and eat from. While some level of comfort can be discerned from looking at the country of origin or what material a product is made from, it leaves the curious consumer with many questions:
- Was this product produced with any regard to environmental impact?
- Did the manufacturer adhere to federal environmental regulations? Better yet, were there any regulations in the country it was produced in?
- Were fair labour practices employed? Were health benefits and fair wages given, and was child labour forbidden?
- Did the factory have any safety procedures for its employees to keep them out of harm’s way?
- How closely was this product supervised during its manufacture? Can I be certain no substitute ingredients were used to make it beyond what is labelled?
- How far did this product have to travel before it got to the store I found it in?
Sustainability is something that Nordic Ware takes very seriously, and we believe the term reaches far beyond what a product is made from and whether it can be recycled or not. We pride ourselves on taking an all-encompassing approach to sustainability, and base many of our company decisions around whether or not something will help us be viable and significant for many years to come.
Meeting and exceeding US environmental regulations for air and water, using BPA-free and melamine-free materials in our products, and using nonstick coatings that are water-based rather than solvent-based are just a handful of the ways that Nordic Ware participates in being sustainable. We are able to focus our close attention on each and every product coming out of our factory as it is made, since our corporate headquarters are located at the same facility as our US-made products are produced in. Our employees enjoy fair wages, a generous benefit program, on-the-job training, and above all, a safe and welcoming work environment.
But we don’t stop there
We believe that one huge step toward being a sustainable company is by reducing our eco footprint. Given that we produce the vast majority of our products in America, it’s not hard to see how they travel a significantly shorter distance than a product coming from overseas before it makes its way into your home. Shorter distance travelled equates to a smaller carbon footprint.
The little things we do each day throughout our factory add up in the long run to create a noticeable difference, and keep us on course with being a fully sustainable business:
- Nordic Ware has been awarded the Green Business designation by our city and is a member of Minnesota WasteWise.
- Energy-efficient lighting and heating systems are installed throughout our facility.
- Our factory and manufacturing ovens are heated with natural gas, the cleanest of conventional fuels available.
- We practice energy conservation by reducing energy usage in all forms when areas of a facility are not in use.
- Nordic Ware consistently exceeds US federal, state and local standards for wastewater, solid waste treatment, and disposal.
- We request no idling of trucks at our shipping docks to reduce air emissions.
- Obsolete or ‘second’ quality products are donated to local charities rather than thrown away.
- We recycle many tons of aluminium and steel scrap each year from our factory.
- We give our factory employees time daily for stretching exercises to prevent repetitive stress injuries.
- Nordic Ware maintains a plot of land on our grounds devoted to organic gardening, with harvest donated to our local foodshelf weekly.
How important is sustainability in your purchasing decisions?