Colgate Mattress recognizes that we have a responsibility not only to parents to produce environmentally friendly products, but also a responsibility to our community and planet to continually look for ways to be a more eco-conscious manufacturer and minimize our footprint. Here are some of the ways that we are doing that:
We worked with Georgia Power to perform an Energy Audit at our factory to identify energy gaps and inefficiencies. Working with their engineers, we found equipment that needed to be upgraded, some that could be retrofitted and we collaborated on a new Energy Lifecycle Plan. The result was lower energy bills and less consumption and stress on the local power grid.
Colgate Mattress collaborated with Trees Atlanta to enhance our factory’s green canopy by planting long lasting hardwoods that produce shade and improve air quality in our neighborhood. Those trees are healthy, vibrant and strong today. Trees Atlanta was founded in 1985 with the purpose of protecting and improving Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating. 30 years and over 100,000 trees later, they are committed to maintaining and expanding the natural tree canopy of our great city.
In our industry, we deal with a lot of corrugated paper packaging. We have taken steps to recycle as much of that material as we can in order to reduce our contributions to local landfills. Additionally, we have found ways to be more efficient in our own packaging, reducing the size and thickness where possible and sourcing corrugated material from manufacturers committed to using as much post consumer recycled material as they can to manufacture our boxes.
Our factory is located very close to the beautiful Atlanta Beltline. During construction, we learned the city was battling erosion issues so we donated pallets full of scrap coir fiber, the 100% natural material derived from coconut shell husks we use to make insulator pads for some of our crib mattresses. The material was stacked and staked down to provide an effective and eco-friendly solution to erosion control. The Atlanta BeltLine is a sustainable redevelopment project that provides a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor circling downtown and connecting many neighborhoods directly to each other. It is transforming our city with a combination of rail, trail, greenspace, housing and art.
We attend multiple industry trade shows every year and are always on the lookout for innovative and eco-friendly materials to manufacture our products with. We were the first in the U.S. to use NaturesNest™, a spun matrix material made from recycled materials that is also 100% recyclable. We source eco foam made from plant oils instead of the tradtional petroleum-based foams. Some of our newest crib mattresses feature PE Foam made with recycled content. We frequently hear from our customers how supportive they are of these efforts and they tell us, “Keep up the good work!”