It’s Just Good Business Sense

Because of Hanover's sustainability plan, its customers can answer that their packaging is provided, "by an EPA Climate Leader; that it's provided by a company that offsets its carbon and energy usage 100 percent," says Rhonda. Beyond tracing the supply chain of its substrates to ensure FSC certification, Hanover has built sustainability into its overall business plan. The company's 125,000 sq.-ft. facility operates on 100-percent renewable energy. When the facility was constructed, Larry made sure to pay for extra insulation to keep every cost and impact on the environment as low as possible. In 2007, the company became an EPA Green Power Partner, meaning that it purchases renewable energy credits for 100 percent of its electricity usage. "So, we have a 100 percent offset to our electricity usage with renewable energy," says Rhonda. "What that means is that we pay to generate renewable energy in the country that other companies can use. That led to us being designated as a Green Power Partner."