Green
Green Washington 2011: Reuse
By Sheila Cain, Sarah Dewey and Aaron Alan Tilley September 16, 2011
This article originally appeared in the October 2011 issue of Seattle magazine.
Winner: ReBinder
Manufacturer of office supplies using locally sourced recycled cardboard and chipboard.
GREEN ACTIONS Environmentally conscientious executives no longer need rely on environmentally unfriendly vinyl binders to organize their papers. ReBinder offers office supplies made of 100 percent locally sourced, recycled cardboard. Its three-ring binder has screws instead of rivets to fasten a recycled (and recyclable) cardboard or chipboard cover to the spine. This encourages users to replace and recycle an old cover instead of throwing away the entire binder. The product is competitively priced to rival vinyl counterparts on the market. All ReBinder products carry a No Landfill Required label, are sourced from responsibly managed forests, and are verified Forest Stewardship Certified and Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified.
RESULTS ReBinders products have reduced by hundreds of tons the amount of waste placed into landfills.
Runner Up: Alchemy Goods
Champion of upcycling, in which waste is converted into products of higher value.
GREEN ACTIONS The company salvages much of its material from landfills and invites area bike shops to collect and donate old tubes. It turns this material into bags, wallets,and belts, labeling each item with the upcycled content by weight.
RESULTS In the past seven years, the firm has rescued more than 192,000 bicycle inner tubes, 40,000 seatbelts, 7,000 pounds of advertising banners and 1,000 truck inner tubes.