With full knowledge that lofty goals require everyday practical implementation, Encore Ceramics holds itself to the following rigorous standards:
Allow all raw materials purchased by the company to leave the company only as a salable finished product.
Every ounce of every raw material must find a home in a finished product. Scrap clay, glaze splashes, rejected tiles, and even our cleanup water, must be collected and reprocessed back into our proprietary clay formula- designed from the start to use up the waste! It takes more effort, more money, and a lot more commitment, but Encore’s methods achieve the highest marks for environmentally sustainable tile.
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| Glaze being captured to be recycled | Dried glaze scrap ready to be ground up and returned to clay formula | Clay scraps get recycled as well |
Absolutely no floor drains!
To protect the river we live on, nothing from our ceramic process goes down a drain. We custom built our factory without drains, because we don’t believe waste is an inevitability of factory manufacturing.
Support the market for recycled and eco-friendly materials.
Encore only buys 100% post-consumer content office paper, paper towels and toilet paper. In all cases possible, we use cleaning products that are readily biodegradable, avoiding anti-bacterial soaps and cleansers with high phosphate contents, and products that emit fluorocarbons. We’re committed to making sound everyday choices. Every detail counts when it involves something as precious as our environment.
Recycle all conventional materials of the company.
At Encore, we don’t limit our recycling to paper and aluminum cans and call it a day. We are committed to recycling all materials possible, including our wooden pallets, printer cartridges, corrugated paper, metal, and electronic refuse.
Minimize energy use in firing kilns.
We only design and manufacture single-fired ceramic products. In addition, we use energy efficient kilns that run on 3-phase power, and silicon carbide kiln furniture, which results in a 15% energy savings compared to standard kiln furniture.
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| Our energy efficient silicon-carbonized kiln shelves |
Minimize energy use by electric motors.
Encore uses only high-efficiency electric motors for all applications, and trains key employees in energy-saving procedures including efficiency adjustments for motors, fans, and thermostats in our factory.
All company vehicles are hybrids.
Environmental measures shouldn’t stop at the factory level. All three of Encore’s company cars are Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (Hybrids). Even our company forklift is electric!
“Green” all energy used by the company.
Encore purchases Bonneville Environmental Foundation “Green Tags,” or Renewable Energy Certificates, to offset Greenhouse Gas Emissions caused in the generating of our power. Doing so supports the market and infrastructure for wind and solar energy. We also purchase “Green Tags” to offset 100% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions caused by our natural gas usage, auto miles, and airline seat miles. We believe in being accountable for every last mile, kilowatt-hour and BTU used by our company.
Only Electric Kilns Allowed!
Encore uses electric-fired kilns instead of natural gas-fired kilns, avoiding the direct contribution to Greenhouse gases caused by burning fossil fuel.
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| Our wind and solar-powered electric kilns |
Participate in the Dialogue On Green Energy Solutions
We value collaboration as a powerful force for creating positive change. That is why we are a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partners Leadership Club, alongside Whole Foods Market, Starbucks, Nike, and Apple Computers. We also invite our elected leaders to meet with us, discover what we do (and why we do it), and support the change toward sustainable practices in manufacturing.
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| Barry and Debbie discuss green innovation with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (OR) |
Next Stop: 100% Energy Self-Sufficiency.
We have an ultimate goal to be 100% energy self-sufficient. One large step we’ve made is the installation of a 29kW solar panel system on our factory roof. The installation is one of the top ten largest in the Northwest, and plans are already in the works to expand it. Thanks to our aggressive energy self-sufficiency plan, we have increased production by 22% over the last year, while actually lowering our energy import by 7%! We’re proud of our continuing commitment to innovative energy solutions.
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| Our rooftop solar installation |
