Sustainability - GEO. SHEARD FABRICS – Performance with Style

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Greenleaf Logo

The Greenleaf logo is a trademark of Geo. Sheard Fabrics and designates fabrics in which the polyester content is 100% recycled. The recycling of polyester reduces the environmental footprint left from processing petroleum products into virgin polyester. The ensuing reduction in the energy required for the manufacturing process results in lower emission levels and less waste.

Recycled Polyester

Post Consumer

Recycled Polyester

70% of the raw material we use comes from Repreve^® fiber which is derived from recycled plastic water bottles.
27 plastic water bottles are recycled for each lb of fabric produced.
GSF has diverted over 100 million plastic bottles from landfills since beginning to work with Repreve^®.

Learn more at www.repreve.com

Our Ocean™

Our Ocean^™

Each year at least 8.8 million tons of plastic make their way into the ocean.
Repreve^® Our Ocean^™ enables customers and consumers to play a role in the ever-growing problem of ocean plastic.
Repreve^® Our Ocean^™ contains 100% post-consumer polyester of which 30% is composed of recycled ocean plastic collected within 50 kilometers of coastlines

Learn more at www.repreve.com

GreenShield® Finish

GreenShield^® Finish

GreenShield^® is the greenest and safest multifunctional finish on the market today, reducing the use of chemistries that are persistent in the environment or harmful to life.

GreenShield^® can be applied by GSF in-house and this allows for shorter lead times on fabrics. Other competing finishes must be applied to fabrics by third part finishers which increases lead times and transportation costs.

GreenShield® ZERO

GreenShield^® ZERO

GreenShield^®️ ZERO is a fluorine free (PFC free) finish providing superior water repellency to water-based stains
It is suitable for all fiber types
It is free of all Prop 65 chemicals at the source.
It is compliant with the requirements for the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI)

GreenShield® Advantages

GreenShield^® Advantages

GreenShield^® uses 8-10 times less fluorocarbon to deliver better water and oil repellency
GreenShield^® is a non emitter, releasing no volatile organic compounds, harmful or otherwise, after application onto fabric.
The GreenShield^® finish is premanently adhered to the fabric as a mesh network eliminating any concernes around nanoparticles leaving the fabric surface to become airborne.
GreenShield^® is based on amorphous silica nanoparticles that are also used for such applications as toothpastes, cosmetic creams, etc…
Amorphous silica (sand) is a GRAS listed material (Generally Recognized as Safe)

Learn more at www.greenshieldfinish.com

Biomimicry

Unlimited fabric possibilities

Biomimicry

GreenShield^® has taken a page from nature’s design through the use of nanoparticles on the surface of the fabric. GreenShield^® creates a pocket of air which causes moisture droplets to bead up and roll, preventing absorption and naturally protecting the surface of the fabric.

Nvirosoft™ Backing

Nvirosoft^™ Backing

Nvirosoft^™ is an eco-friendly acrylic backing which is free of all Prop 65 chemicals at the source.
It combines high performance with soft and supple finish for comfort and ease of upholstery.
Nvirosoft^™ Clear is ideal for fabrics destined for marketing to the A&D community.

Sustainable Development

Geo. Sheard Fabrics is committed to the principles of sustainable development: growing our business while improving our environmental performance and the working conditions of our employees. Our continuous improvement philosophy focuses on always looking for new ways to increase the efficiency of our operations and the performance of our products while decreasing our environmental footprint and the use of natural resources such as energy and water.

Environmental Management

We are a registered Industrial Energy Innovator, part of a select group of Canadian companies that are making energy efficiency a priority. This initiative is part of the Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation (CIPEC), a joint industry-government program sponsored by Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency.

Pollution Prevention

Pollution prevention is a guiding principle that we adhere to in managing our business. Reducing or preventing pollution at the source is not only sound environmental practice, but it also leads to increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water and other natural resources, which leads to higher overall productivity and lower manufacturing costs.

We abide by the principles of the three Rs. We continually strive to find new ways to reduce waste generated within our operations and reuse and recycle materials whenever possible in order to minimize the volume of waste sent to the landfill.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency

Energy Efficiency

We have invested in several energy efficiency projects:

A hot water recovery system in the dyehouse
A wastewater energy recovery system
A high efficiency low-NOx burner for the boiler
The optimization of our steam distribution network
A boiler stack economizer

These projects have led to the following savings:

A 15% reduction in natural gas usage
A 25% reduction in water usage