So What Makes a Product ‘Green’?

Most agree that using recycled materials (like our ECO Unit) constitutes a green product.  While using recycled materials is great, it’s only part of the story.  It has become the norm to buy cheap throw-away, land-fill clogging products.  If a product is cheap enough, why worry about how long it will last – just buy another one!   And if a product malfunctions or breaks, forget about repairing it – products are rarely designed for repair.

If manufacturers want to be ‘green’, they also have to make quality products that last.  Products also need to be designed for repair and disassembly at the end of their useful life for recycling.  This does not necessarily mean that products have to cost more.  Often, a simple design change can prevent failure and then a consequent trip to the garbage can.   Just imagine the energy and material savings achieved if products lasted longer?  While this philosophy may be in conflict with what some consider economic ‘progress’, the throw-away product model is not sustainable in the long run.

Let’s build clever, durable products, allowing for repair if necessary – and recycling at end of life.  That’s what we call GREEN!