Baumgarten's and the Environment

Leaving the planet better than we found it for future generations is something we think is important. As a global corporation, Baumgarten's recognizes that businesses have an impact on the planet. We are continually striving to reduce the environmental impact of the products we sell as well as improve our business practices.

Be GREEN with us! Come plant your future with Baumgarten's. If you have any ideas for further ways Baumgarten's can go green, please email us at gogreen@baumgartens.com.

A Tree Planted with Every Order

Baumgarten's is committed to preserving natural resources. We've started offering a "Green Shipping" option. Having partnered with Americanforests.org's Global Releaf program, we now give our customers an option to offset the greenhouse gasses emitted during the shipping of an order. For just an additional $1, Americanforests.org plants one tree. This lone tree will help turn the amount of carbon dioxide from shipping an order in to pure oxygen.

We're Buying Renewable Energy Credits

At Baumgarten's, we understand that there is a CO2 emissions footprint associated with our business operations, including electricity and natural gas usage. We are taking a leadership role by offsetting a significant portion of our corporate carbon footprint with Renewable Energy Credits.

• By purchasing renewable energy credits, Baumgarten's is helping to offset hundreds of thousands of pounds of CO2 emissions in just one year. This has the equivalent environmental benefit of recycling over 500,000 aluminum cans.
• In 2007, Baumgarten's purchased enough wind and biomass energy credits to offset 100% of the carbon emissions associated with all its electricity and natural gas usage.
• Please contact us at gogreen@baumgartens.com for more information.

   

A History of Human-Friendly™ Products

Baumgarten's has a number of products that while they are not "green" are not harmful to the environment. They're Human Friendly.

	Plastiklips® have always been free of cadmium, an ingredient used in plastic production that has been linked to lung disease, kidney failure, and fragile bones.
	OPTI Correction Fluid® is the worlds first non-toxic correction fluid, and it is still the fastest drying!
	Our plastic Corner Klips are free of cadmium, zinc, mercury, and hexavalent chrome.

Keep It Out of the Landfill

Diverting material from landfills is a priority for our planet. Here are the steps we take to reduce our landfill stream:

• Working with printer companies, all our printers, fax machines, and copy machine ink and toner cartridges are recycled or refilled.
• Old electronic equipment is resold if it has market value. If not, the parts are recycled and the metals, such as solder, are reclaimed to be used again.
• Old CD and DVD media that can be disposed of are collected and recycled / destroyed via metals recyclers.
• Obsolete cell phones are collected and recycled.
• Spent batteries from around the office, whether from flashlights, personal recorders, radios, clocks, calculators and UPS Back-up units are all collected and recycled. Employees can bring in their batteries from home too.

Reuse and Recycle! It works.

RoHS Compliant

Going Green isn't all that easy. It takes a massive commitment, lots of time, money and research to build products and verify they are a cut above the rest. The technical detail and scientific analysis of hundreds of products is daunting to say the least.

Baumgarten's took the initiative to become 100% RoHS compliant this year. As of May 6th, 2008, we have done just that, and all of our products up to this date have now passed. We wouldn't be surprised if we are the first company in the Office Supply industry to have taken the overwhelming steps required to meet the RoHS directive.

The RoHS Standard is a European / Asian Directive (likely to be adopted by N. America) to lower the amount of toxic heavy metals in products. It addresses maximum levels of acceptable Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), hexavalent Chromium (Cr VI), and two types of brominated flame retardants, Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB) and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE) contained in electrotechnical products.

Thanks again for being customers who care about our health, the environment and our products.

We will continue to be ahead of the curve in all things Green!

Paper Efficiency

Baumgarten’s has implemented a policy of purchasing paper for our copiers, printers, and fax machines that has a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste. Wherever possible we reuse old paper. For example, for interoffice printing needs, we will print on the backside of old papers and duplex print whenever possible, saving a whole sheet. This little act maximizes resources. We save money on paper, cut down on gasoline used for additional paper deliveries, and require less paper be made overall.

In short, by not using as much paper each day, we’re enabling a chain of events that makes a difference, one sheet of paper at a time.

Tuition Reimbursement Program

We believe in maximizing human potential to improve our life, our relationships with each other, and to achieve our goals. From day one of employment, our workforce is offered a significant educational scholarship which is renewed each year.

Baumgarten's believes in leaving the planet better than we found it for future generations. That's why we've taken these steps and will continually strive to reduce our environmental impact on the planet.