Earth Day, Every Day. Our Commitment to Sustainability.

At Gallagher Uniform, fourth and fifth generations of Gallaghers lead our company and continue the work to leave a legacy and reduce our environmental impact. Through our commitment to sustainability in our processes, our work and our leadership we plan to see the company continue for many generations yet to come. And, we’ll leave the environment as intact as possible for them.

Uniform programs themselves are a little eco-friendlier, since garments are being used as long as possible, and then our garments are either recycled or donated to Goodwill Industries of Central Michigan’s Heartland. You might say we wear them out, literally. Still, there is a lot more to it than the garments.

We do a lot of laundry. A lot! Upwards of 130,000 pounds every week – that’s the equivalent of well over 15,000 loads in your average home washer. With that kind of production, you can start to imagine the amount of water, soil and soap pumped through our facility on a weekly basis. That’s why we are committed to constantly seeking new ways to be protective of the environment.

For starters, our detergents, degreasers and the base oils used to treat heavily soiled garments have all been upgraded to biodegradable formulas. Our automation systems ensure the mix and quantity of detergents used on each load are precise based on size, soil type and more. In other words, we only use just the right amount of detergent to keep every garment looking its best, and what we do use is environmentally friendly.

It’s not always about what we use, but what we don’t use.

Our team runs an efficient operation, focused on automation to avoid using unnecessary resources and deliver the best service to our customers. And we’re always seeking new ways to improve efficiency in our processes while reducing our environmental footprint., such as:

• Oil Skimmer: Skims the oils from soiled garments out of our wastewater. The oil is then sent to a local environmental services provider to be recycled.
• Lint Shaker-Separator: Separates any lint and suspended solids from wastewater. After the oil and lint have been removed, the water is ready to be re-used.
• Heat Re-claim System: This is where the wastewater is re-used. The heat from the wastewater is used to warm up fresh water for the next load, drastically decreasing energy use in the process.
• Energy Efficient Water Softener: Not only does it use less energy; we’re now using roughly 400 fewer pounds of salt every month.
• LED Lighting: All fluorescent lighting throughout our facility was recently upgraded to LED, which is paying off with increased energy and cost efficiency.

Sustainability, Work Environment and Actual Environment

Our heritage and success from generation to generation is another testament to our sustainability. We take this seriously at Gallagher Uniform and continue to improve our processes, operations, technology and relationships. We value our associates and strive to provide a workplace where all are able to make a contribution to the company, and better serve our customers.

Our green policy focuses on reducing, reusing, and recycling because it’s what is best for the communities we work in and care about.  And, our family leadership focuses on innovations in services, products and technology to best serve all our stakeholders now and well into the future.

While many companies talk about being “Green”, at Gallagher Uniform we live it every day. And, we believe wholeheartedly that doing good is of the utmost importance to our community-oriented business.

We invite you to learn more about our green policies or the company history. As you do, consider making the switch to Gallagher Uniform, and give us a call, anytime, at 800-468-7174.