The Philadelphia Eagles
Proving that you can be tough as well as green, the Eagles embarked on a mission to become an environmentally responsible business in 2003. In the program's first two years, the team recycled nearly 150 tons of paper, cardboard and beverage containers; thanks to these efforts and the purchase of postconsumer recycled materials, the Eagles estimate they have kept 139 metric tons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, and saved 5.46 billion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy.
Norm Thompson Outfitters
Catalog retailers mail out about 17 billion catalogs every year -- that's nearly 60 per person in the United States -- and almost none of them use postconsumer recycled content paper. That's why Norm Thompson's cutting-edge, industry-leading commitment is so valuable. Norm Thompson prints its catalogs on 10 percent postconsumer recycled paper, and has set a company goal of increasing that figure to an average of 30 percent postconsumer recycled paper before 2008. The company estimates that it has saved:
- 4,400 tons of wood per year;
- 20 billion BTUs of energy;
- 11.7 million gallons of water;
- and 990 tons of solid waste.
Bank of America
By reducing the basis weight of its ATM receipts from 20 pounds to 15 pounds, Bank of America saved more than just paper; this simple move also gained the bank additional savings in transportation, storage and handling costs, to the tune of $500,000 a year.
Warner Bros. Studios
Warner Brothers started a simple office paper recycling program in 1992 and has never looked back -- now the company's environmental initiatives include energy efficiency, waste reduction, environmental procurement and green building. The studio's corporate stationery and business cards are made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled paper. Production schedules are distributed online, scripts are printed double-sided, and thousands of tons of paper, containers, film, CDs, DVDs, toner cartridges and other materials are recycled each year. "The environmental initiatives we're taking help define Warner Brothers as a company," CFO Ed Romano told Time Warner Keywords in 2003. "We are in a highly competitive business, and it's a win-win when we can save money and do the right thing."
Random House
The book publishing industry uses only about 5 percent recycled content paper on average, but an ambitious plan by Random House could pave the way for an industry-wide change. In May 2006, the nation's leading publisher announced plans to step up the recycled paper content of its books to 30 percent (from 3 percent) by 2010. Random House buys about 120,000 tons of paper each year for its books. When the company reaches its goal, it will save an estimated 550,000 trees a year.
