Most brands are in it for the money. Let’s be honest, that’s what it’s all about right? Well, yes and no. You see, some brands are in it for the money but then there’s the select few that also see the bigger picture too. With Earth Day nipping at our heals we began to wonder… who are the brands that take an extra step and give back, promote recycling and actually make a difference when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint and making this world a better place?

After a some research we came up with a list of 7 companies that are really working hard to help the environment. There may be many more brands that are doing similar projects – these seven brands just happen to be the 7 that caught our attention in a very big way!

The North Face

In 2010, the U.S. EPA estimated that over 26 billion pounds of apparel, footwear, and other textiles were thrown away. Nearly 85 percent of which ended up in the landfill. That’s about 70 pounds per U.S. resident! Much of that can be reused or recycled and kept in a closed production cycle. By doing so, you help protect and preserve valuable material resources and help build a healthier planet. Check out the embedded video below to see how The North Face is helping to divert waste out of our landfills.

The items you drop into North Face’s bins are sent to a recycling center where they are carefully sorted based on over 400 categories. They are then reused to extend their life or recycled into raw materials for use in products like insulation, carpet padding, stuffing for toys, and fibers for new clothing. Learn More

New Belgium Brewing Company

wasteIn 2013, New Belgium diverted 99.9% of their waste from the landfill. However, there is still more to do. They are constantly looking at ways to close loops and, more importantly, to eliminate waste generated in the first place. After all, there is no waste in nature! In natural ecosystems, one creature’s waste is another’s food, and New Belgium really likes this concept. They’re working hard to divert, reuse or eliminate waste whenever they can. These practices help to minimize ecosystem damage from resource extraction and aid in preserving our ecosystems for future generations.

New Belgium is currently in the midst of a brewery-wide waste stream audit, with hopes to become a certified Zero Waste facility before too long. Learn more

Boxed Water Is Better

boxed water

As the name indicates… Boxed Water Is Better. And we have to agree, if not only for the reason that 76% of each box is made from a renewable resource, trees! With ability to ship their boxes flat to the filler, shipping is significantly more efficient when compared to shipping empty plastic or glass bottles to be filled.  Boxed Water Is Better has also partnered with 1% For The Planet to help with world water relief, reforestation, and environmental protection projects to help enable a positive impact on humanitarian and environmental efforts. Learn more

Clif Bar

2,080 hours. That’s how many hours’ one full-time employee works in a year. And it’s the amount of time Clif Bar has committed to giving back to their communities. Project 2080 makes it easy for their employees to identify, organize, and participate in community volunteer efforts on company time. Groups of employees have supported nonprofits such as Meals on Wheels, delivering hot meals to people unable to get to grocery stores. Others have packed up surplus medical supplies and equipment for MedShare, which sends them to people in need throughout the world.

Every year, the entire company—hundreds of employees strong—takes a Project 2080 day together. With that large a group, they’ve been able in a single day to clear miles of trails in a regional park, paint and help landscape a local public school, and weed, plant, and build structures for a large-scale community garden. Is it an excuse to get out of work? Sure. But even better, it’s how Clif Bar chooses to give back to their communities.

Beyond project 2080 Clif Bar also has a full-time Ecologist on staff, a zero waste plan in place and much, much more… Learn more

Patagonia

This spring Patagonia’s biodiesel repair truck will travel from California to New York doing free clothing repairs, teaching you how to fix your own gear and selling used Patagonia clothing. Bring them your tired, well-loved clothing for repair. If you don’t have any, they’ll supply it. Fix it and you can keep it.

The Worn Wear program celebrates the stories we wear and keeps your gear in action longer to take some of the pressure off the planet. For dates and locations click here to learn more.

Google

Currently, very little of the world’s power is from renewables like wind and solar. Google is working on changing that by buying electricity directly from wind farms near our data centers. They are also working with utility partners to find solutions that will make more renewable energy available for them and for others. All of these initiatives help Google get clean energy at competitive prices and the wind farm owners get the money they need to build these projects and/or finance additional clean energy facilities.

Google uses PPAs to buy that energy from clean sources — such as wind farms — near our data centers. These long-term contracts are good for the environment, as well as good for business. Learn more

Waste Management

The Waste Management Phoenix Open stands out on many levels. No tournament on the PGA tour draws more fans with attendance levels exceeding 500,000. No tournament draws more passionate fans. Nowhere is that more evident than on “sixteen,” the most famous stadium-hole in golf.

Dubbed the “Greatest Show on Grass” and now the “Greenest Show on Grass”, the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is the very first Zero Waste to Landfill tournament in the world. To acheive this Waste Management has gone to extreme lengths. Among them, three Zero Waste Stations uniquely repurposed from their first life as Waste Management dumpsters, and two floating logos on the water holes at 15 and 18 – one made with 140,000 used golf balls, the other comprised of 750,000 tees made from recycled plastic. Not to mention there is not a single trash can on the course, instead you’ll find 6,000 recycling and compost bins that replaced every trash can on the course. They’ve also installed 60 solar-powered compactors, each holding five times that of a traditional bin. Here’s a look at how they do it…

The ambitious goal of zero waste at the Waste Management Phoenix Open became a reality in 2013, and is becoming a record-setting tradition. Learn more

And there you have it, seven MAJOR brands and corporations that are stepping up in a big way to help the environment and give back. It seems so simple to do, but honestly not enough brands are doing their part. Hopefully leading by example these brands will encourage new and emerging brands to take the same care for our environment.

Know of other brands who are doing running similar eco-friendly initiatives? Drop us a line in the comments below!

About The Author

Editor-in-Chief

Busted Wallet’s resident testing and review specialist, Josh has a keen eye for all things tech, booze, and sports-related. After working closely with brands such as Nike, The North Face, EA Sports, Burton, HP, Oakley, Sony, Cannondale, Taylormade Golf and many others over the past decade he’s grown to become one of the most reliable reviewers in the business.

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