Glove Intelligent Assistant
04.02.2024
Earth Day is coming just around the corner annually on April 22nd this year. The very first Earth Day was founded on April 22nd, 1970. Earth Day began as a movement led by activist Denis Hayes and Senator Gaylord Nelson in response to their concern for the environment. This movement attracted the attention of the national media and around 20 million Americans (around 10% of the population at that time) rallied in public to protest against the negative impact of 150 years of industrial development on the environment. Earth Day’s largely successful legacy is manifested in the establishment of many important environmental agencies and laws that can still be seen today. This includes: the Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Superfund, Toxics Substances Control Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Air, the Clean Water Act, and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
What started as a national day of environmental awareness spread internationally and more than 200 elected officials in more than 39 countries increased their efforts to create sustainable green economies and reduce their carbon footprints in 2010 on Earth Day’s 40th anniversary. Years later in 2016, world leaders from 175 nations came together to sign the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change. While many generations have passed since the first Earth Day in 1970, people from all over the world come together year after year for this mainstream desire to protect the environment. Even in 2024, as we approach the 54th anniversary of the first Earth Day, the general public is focused on climate change and sustainability.
SW as a brand and business, has always been focused on how we impact the environment. The success of our brand stems from our commitment towards sustainability. Especially on Earth Day, we find commonality with our consumers’ concerns about the impact of industrial development on the environment. As a registered California Green Business, we meet all 65 criteria certifying that the company operates in an environmentally responsible manner. California Green Businesses collectively aim to reduce their carbon footprint by conserving their water usage, waste production, and energy usage. The network, together in 2021, has saved 284 million gallons of water, 54 million kilowatts of energy, prevented 114 million pounds of greenhouse gasses, and diverted 17 million pounds of waste. SW has extensively worked towards reducing our company’s carbon footprint.
Our company actively works on reducing the reliance of hazardous substances in our manufacturing process. Preventing chemical pollution and minimizing the amount of chemicals in our products is a top priority. We refrain from using harsh chemical accelerants in our glove manufacturing process, which contributes to the low dermatitis potential of our products. SW also works to source raw materials from sustainable forests as we work with the Forest Stewardship Council. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an organization that has been around since 1995 and has certified over 3000 other US companies, guaranteeing that products are made from materials sourced from responsibly managed forests.
As a result, SW was awarded with the 2023 Environmental Protection New Product of the Year, 2022 Best In Biz Silver Winner in Most Environmentally Friendly Product of the Year, and 2022 Environmental Protection Winner in Green Technology and Sustainable Safety/Health Products.
While these are impressive accomplishments, SW is inspired by Earth Day to continue spreading sustainability forward. We aim to constantly innovate our brand towards protecting the environment of the future. Many of our company goals revolve around waste reduction. This can be seen with our EcoTek technology, our waste reduction process in industrial landfills. Our new technology and recent TotalForm glove is manufactured with bio-based materials.
Bio-based materials are materials intentionally developed from renewable biological sources (living or once-living organisms). The advantage and desire to introduce biobased materials into the manufacturing process is their ability to reduce our carbon footprint. SW wishes the world a Happy 2024 Earth Day and hopes to spread the sentiment that every day can be a day to practice sustainability.