Sustainability
Pink is the New Green
While the rental business is inherently "green"—products are used multiple times rather than being purchased and discarded after each event—here at Party Rental Ltd., we are committed to sustainability through innovation with respect to natural resource conservation, management, and utilization. We’re dedicated to finding new, creative ways to reduce waste, increase our operational efficiency, and partner with our clients to reduce the impact our orders have on the environment. The classic "three R's" (reduce, reuse, recycle) should really have a fourth "R"—rentals!
Here’s some of our sustainability solutions and initiatives.
"Green," Biodegradable, and Compostable Products
We’re committed to increasing the availability of "green" rental products—biodegradable and compostable items made from natural sources such as bamboo, reed grass, corn and potato starches.
According to the EPA, Americans recycle only 1% of the plastic we generate, and over 100 billion plastic, paper and styrofoam cups and plates are discarded each year. To help reduce this imprint, we offer products made of biodegradable and compostable materials that can be broken down naturally by microorganisms or converted into compost. These eco-friendly products are chic, party-ready and contain no chemicals, dyes, or glue. While the price of petroleum rises, so does the price of petroleum-based products like plastic plates and cups, making the green alternatives a smart pick from both from a sustainability and budgeting standpoint.even more desirable.
The Palm Leaf Plate collection is made from the fallen leaves from plantations - no trees are ever cut down to make the dinnerware. Their production uses only 10% of the energy used to make recycled paper products, and 80% of the water is recaptured and reused. The Recycled Paper Plates are made of 100% reclaimed fiber and are both biodegradable and compostable. These are great mid-weight alternatives to the regular paper disposable plates.
Green Initiatives in Our Operations
While offering biodegradable and compostable products is instrumental in reducing our footprint, we’re always striving to find new, innovative ways.
Fleet Maintenance and Management
While our trucks are known for our "herd" of iconic pink hippos, our fleet is also extraordinary for our use of modern and fuel efficient vehicles. Vehicles are serviced in compliance with mandated service intervals and tires kept properly inflated, not only for our driver’s safety but to help keep emissions to a minimum. Our drivers are trained to be conscious of speed limits and turn off their engines while loading and unloading orders to reduce our carbon footprint. Vehicles are cycled periodically to maintain a balance of newer, more fuel efficient and environmentally-friendly units with special attention to lowering Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) and increasing driver safety. Hybrid Cab Over’s are being tested for future opportunities in the metropolitan delivery locations.
All of our vehicles are equipped with a GPS navigation system and route efficient management planning, which is monitored by our Dispatch Team through the use of mapping software, enabling the company to plan cost- and fuel-effective routes. This saves time manually routing, decreases overlapping routes, and simultaneously reduces mileage, fuel usage, and the amount of vehicles on the road. The GPS devices enable our Dispatch Team to track drivers routes, provide real-time location of vehicles, and help eliminate missed deliveries. Increasing customer satisfaction through on-time deliveries and reducing our impact on the environment is a win-win situation for us, our clients, and our communities.
Operations
Each of our warehouses are monitored, and every effort is made to control the use of electrical power and water usage. Through the use of energy saving devices, recycled water, and the latest technology, we’re consciously finding ways to is do our part to conserve.
In 2017, we replaced half of our glass washers with new state-of-the machines that use active filtration to help use up to 66% less water. Over time, we’ll continue to replace older machines with the new model to help further conserve water during the washing process. Our tunnel washer in our Laundry facility uses a similar mechanism to allow it conserve water during the wash cycle, helping to greatly reduce the amount of water we use every day.
In 2015, we installed a 200-kilowatt (kW) solar energy system above our laundry facility. By partnering with Enter Solar, we are able to generate almost a third (31.1%) of our laundry facilities annual electricity requirements through solar power. The energy we save by generating clean electricity on-site is equivalent to saving nearly 18,500 gallons of gas every year—a big savings that helps offset the impact of our truck fleet. Our clients have been great partners in our hanger-recycling program, further helping to cut down on waste.
Our Administrative and Customer Service staff diligently strive to conserve the use of paper and ink consumed with unnecessary printing. Most work is performed through the use of internet and most transactions are settled electronically, saving both time and paper.
"Going green" is a big part of what it means to "think pink" here at Party Rental Ltd., and we’re proud to continue to find ways to be better neighbors and partners in our sustainability journey.