Consumer Products
‘Briter’ days ahead
How EZ Brite Brands grows business by eliminating waste
Smart Business Cleveland | February 2009
When you’re done reading this story,
Ed Aghajanian would probably like to
know what you’re going to do with this
magazine.
Sure, the paper it’s printed on is recyclable, but have you also considered that
there may be another use for it? At EZ
Brite Brands Inc., the Westlake manufacturer of more than 40 soaps and cleaning
products for the kitchen, the emphasis
on sustainability is just as much about
reusing and reducing as it is about recycling.
Not only are all of EZ Brite’s products
manufactured from natural, sustainable,
food-safe materials, but the company
has put the same expectation of environmental friendliness into every aspect of
its business. In tight economic times,
Aghajanian has repeatedly asked the
question, “Why would I waste anything?”
At EZ Brite, employees don’t even have
the option of throwing something away,
as there is no Dumpster. Packing popcorn from incoming shipments is stored
and reused. Green-thumbed employees
take home coffee grinds for composting.
Leftover boxes are reused or donated to
a local nonprofit operation for its shipments. The shelves in the company plant
were constructed from leftover materials of the business next door. Even mistakes at EZ Brite are reused, as the company will donate safe products that don’t
work out just right to charitable organizations or to landscapers who can put
them in power washers. The driving
force is to eternally find another use for
what used to be considered waste.
Eliminating waste and focusing on
reusing materials isn’t just a motivational driver at EZ Brite because it’s the
hip thing to do, the company is also
enjoying the fiscal benefits. Here’s just
one $12,000 example: The company
purchased blending tanks from another
local company looking to scrap them.
Rather than letting them sit in a dump,EZ Brite was able to purchase them and
return them to use, all while saving
$12,000.
Going forward, EZ Brite is hoping to
continue its organic growth — the
company has already built up to 11
employees — the natural way. And
that natural way begs the question
once more: What are you going to do
with this magazine?
HOW TO REACH: EZ Brite Brands Inc., (440) 871-7817 or
www.ezbritebrands.com
