Sustainability Isn’t a Slogan—It’s How We Operate Every Day
A More Sustainable Mat Service… Not Just on Earth Day
You’ll see a lot of companies talk about sustainability this time of year, and that’s great.
But for us, it’s not something we turn on for a post or a promotion. It’s built into how we run our business… every single day.
From how we clean, to how we deliver, to how we extend the life of products through our eco-friendly mat service—it all adds up.
The Most Overlooked Part: Renting Is Better for the Earth
Before we get into the details, let’s call out the biggest one: the rental model itself.
The U.S. generates over 17 million tons of textile waste each year, with most of it ending up in landfills, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
That’s where a sustainable mat rental and towel service makes a real difference.
When you rent instead of constantly buying and replacing:
- You’re not throwing products away after short use
- You’re extending the usable life of every item
- You’re reducing waste at a much larger scale
Instead of: buy → use → toss → repeat
You get: use → clean → rotate → reuse
And that’s where the real impact starts.
We Give Products a Second Life
Another way we practice sustainability? We believe in giving things a second life. Just because something is no longer customer-ready doesn’t mean it needs to be thrown away.
We donate retired towels to local organizations like the Wisconsin Humane Society so they can be used as bedding for the dogs, cats, and other animals in their care. They are more comfortable than an empty crate or concrete floor, and help the Humane Society to put donations toward something other than bedding.
It may seem like a small thing, but giving towels a second purpose instead of sending them to a landfill adds up fast.
We Reclaim and Reuse Heat
Laundry takes energy—there’s just no way around that. But instead of letting all that heat and energy go to waste, we’ve invested in a heat reclaiming system that captures and reuses heat generated during the cleaning process.
That means:
- Less wasted energy
- More efficient operations
- Lower overall environmental impact
It’s not something customers see, but it matters to us… and the earth.
We Keep Mats Out of Landfills
When mats reach the end of their usable life, we don’t just toss them into the trash. Instead, we partner with M+A Matting to recycle them. This effort alone keeps large amounts of material out of landfills.
The mat’s materials are separated, then broken down and repurposed for other uses. One example? Some of the recycled yarn is used for equestrian arena surfaces, which is near and dear to General Manager Katelyn’s heart, as she enjoys competing in equestrian events.
It’s a full circle moment that makes our job that much more meaningful.
We Keep Things Local—and We Run Tight Routes
Where you source products from and how you deliver them matters more than most people realize, but it’s something we pay a lot of attention to.
We prioritize local partners
We work with local suppliers whenever possible—like Bedford Paper for paper products—so materials don’t have to travel halfway across the country to get to us (or you).
That means:
- Less transportation impact
- Shorter supply chains
- Supporting businesses right here in Wisconsin
We optimize our routes (and we actually mean it)
We recently reworked our delivery routes using StreetSync routing software—and what we found was eye-opening. In some cases, two trucks were servicing accounts across the street from each other… so we fixed it.
Now:
- Our trucks travel fewer unnecessary miles
- We’re using less fuel overall
- Service is more efficient for our customers
It’s one of those behind-the-scenes changes that makes a real difference over time.
This Is What Sustainability Looks Like in Practice
Sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does take some effort to put it into practice. The easy way isn’t always the most sustainable way, nor is it always obvious.
Sometimes it looks like:
- Extending the life of the products you use every day
- Cleaning and reusing instead of constantly replacing
- Making small operational decisions that reduce waste over time
The key is consistency combined with a desire to continually do better.
Not Just on Earth Day
Earth Day is a good reminder to operate in a way that honors the earth, but the real impact comes from what you do the other 364 days of the year.
If you’re already working with Packerland, you’re already part of that.
If you’re not, we’re happy to show you what a more Earth-friendly setup could look like with a sustainable mat and towel service built around your space. Let’s take a look at your setup and show you where a more sustainable system could actually save you time and money.
