Earth-Friendly Kitchen Brands for Earth Day

While next year will be the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, today is the 50th observed Earth Day! Over the years, Earth Day has helped bring awareness to all sorts of environmental challenges and areas for improvement. In turn, businesses and government organizations have worked together to make lasting changes. Today, we’re recognizing a few of the brands we carry for their earth-friendly products and practices.

Earth-Friendly Cookware

Cookware materials like stainless steel and cast iron are inherently eco-friendly. A cast iron pan from  Finex or Le Creuset will last for decades in your kitchen, keeping it out of the landfill. Stainless steel is similarly indestructible; your stainless pots and pans from OXO and All-Clad will last for decades too. In fact, All-Clad is dedicated to recovery and recycling in the manufacturing process. All the scrap material left behind is recycled, instead of becoming waste.

While Scanpan and Swiss Diamond make nonstick cookware, which simply doesn’t have the longevity of stainless steel or cast iron, their commitment to sustainability deserves to be highlighted. First,  Scanpan cookware is made from recycled aluminum. Recycled aluminum offers the same desirable properties as raw aluminum, and it significantly reduces waste. Scanpan shared this eye-opening comparison between the potential waste from raw aluminum vs. recycled aluminum:

2.2 lbs of aluminum extracted from the earth creates almost 200 lbs of waste.
2.2 lbs of recycled aluminum creates just 7.5 lbs of waste.

Swiss Diamond is another leader in sustainability. Not only are their finished aluminum pans approved for recycling, scrap materials and irregular products are recycled within the factory. The factory itself runs entirely on hydroelectric power, and non-potable water is used in the cooling system and coating lines.

Earth-Friendly Bakeware

Nordic Ware is an outstanding example of a company working for sustainability in multiple ways. Their products contain no BPA or melamine, and the nonstick coatings on their pans are water-based. Like All-Clad and Swiss Diamond, they recycle scrap materials. The Nordic Ware factory is equipped with an array of energy-efficient systems, and they employ various policies and procedures to conserve energy too.

Nordic Ware’s sustainability efforts have earned them a Green Business designation in Minnesota, and they’re a member of Minnesota WasteWise. Nordic Ware’s investment in their community is also based in earth-friendliness. They donate irregular products to local charities, rather than adding them to the landfill, and they maintain an on-site garden plot for growing fresh produce to donate locally.

Earth-Friendly Cutlery and Utensils

Stainless steel and carbon steel cutlery is earth-friendly thanks to its durability and long lifespan.  Ferrum takes their sustainability efforts one step further in their gorgeous cutlery. They use scrap wood from black walnut farms in Oregon and turn them into one-of-a-kind knife handles.

Bamboo is also well-known as another earth-friendly material. The cooking and serving utensils from Island Bamboo use this renewable resource, and they have a long lifespan too. Island Bamboo also considers the environment where it comes to their packaging, creating as little waste as possible.

Wusthof brings together a whole range of sustainability measures in their production process. Not only is their stainless steel cutlery built to last for decades, Wusthof has also built an entire department focused on environmental awareness. Energy-efficient processes, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and a modern, specialized filter system are all central to Wusthof’s commitment to earth-friendliness.

Earth-Friendly Kitchen Electrics

Can small appliances really be earth-friendly? Yes, thanks to manufacturers like SMEG, SodaStream, and Work Sharp Culinary.  SMEG adheres to high standards for the manufacturing, packaging, shipping, and performance of their products. Earth-friendliness plays a key role in all of these areas, and SMEG makes it a top priority to exceed the requirements of environmental legislation.

Of course, electric knife sharpeners from  Work Sharp Culinary help keep cutlery in top condition to prolong its lifespan and reduce waste. But like other brands mentioned above, they also recycle their scrap and waste materials. Plus, their facility receives more than half of their electrical power annually from a solar power system.

Finally,  SodaStream may be the ultimate earth-friendly kitchen electric. As their website proudly proclaims, “With one reusable bottle we can save a family up to 3000 disposable bottles every year.” SodaStream reuses both the bottles and the CO2 cylinders. Plus, many of their models don’t even use electricity!