Sustainability



OUR GREEN PLEDGE

As our customers know we always strive to deliver the best products at the best price with the best service. As our loyal customer base grows more eco-savvy and demands a higher standard of sustainability from all of their businesses Gooses are looking to not only meet their high standards but exceed them once again. It won't happen overnight, and we will learn a lot along the way but it is our goal to keep on improving ourselves in any way possible!

As such, we here at Gooses know it's our duty to protect the earth for future generations so we are making moves to reduce our footprint and improve the eco conscious aspect of our production. 

In 2020 we rolled out several initiatives to put us on track to becoming your #1 eco-friendly screen printing option. Now in 2021, we have completed most of these, and are looking for more ways in which we can improve.
 


Our initiatives:

T-SHIRT DONATION DRIVE
Green Tick
During the creation of your awesome custom printed products our printing team will make test prints to ensure your design is as slick as you imagined.

For this process we already print on own recycled shirts but now we want to get YOU involved!

Clothing dumped to landfill is an ever increasing problem with the proliferation of fast-fashion. So let's extend the life of your used t-shirts and do our part to reduce our greenhouse emissions.

So if you have any old COTTON T-SHIRTS you'd like to get rid of please come and drop them by Gooses at 10a Allen St, Chch!
(We need them to be in relatively clean condition without big holes please!) Not only will your clothes get a 2nd life as test print fodder but a 3rd life as rags after that!
 


MOVING TO LED LIGHTING
Green Tick
LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than traditional lighting such as fluorescent and incandescent lights. 95% of the energy in LEDs is converted into light and only 5% is wasted as heat. This is compared to fluorescent lights which convert 95% of energy to heat and only 5% into light! LED lights also draw much less power than traditional lighting; a typical 84 watt fluorescent can be replaced by a 36 watt LED to give the same level of light. Less energy use reduces the demand from power plants and decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

LED lights contain no toxic elements. Most offices currently use fluorescent strip lights which contain noxious chemicals such as mercury. This will contaminate the environment when disposed of in landfill waste.  Disposal has to be arranged through a registered waste carrier so switching to LED avoids the cost and time implications required for compliant disposal – and helps to protect the environment from further toxic waste.

Update 23.02.21: Our factory and reception is now fully lit with LED lights!
 


GOING PAPERLESS
Nearly there
We are 90% towards our goal of having a paperless production line and the statistics show that even this small change makes a huge impact on our planet.

The average tree produces only 17 reams of paper and takes about 100 years to grow. Producing those 17 reams or paper releases 50kg of C02 into the atmosphere. Our changes will result in annual changes of approximately 10 trees saved and 500kg of C02 avoided. 

Update 23.02.21: We have removed 7 of our printers and now just operate with one. We print onto Carbon
Neutral copy paper that comes in recyclable packaging. 
 


SORTING WASTE
Green Tick
We have recently installed a more thorough recycling and wastage system with bins being more specifically labeled and processed. Our staff are taking on the mantra of reduce - reuse - recycle so our waste output is minimal but what is left over is discarded as environmentally friendly as possible.
 


USE OF ECO-FRIENDLY PRINTING PRODUCTS
Nearly there
Screen printing requires use of a variety of inks and washes that, if not up to snuff, can be harmful to not only our ecosystem but our valued printers that use them. At Gooses the safety and comfort of our printers along with our affect on the environment are of the upmost importance to us. Therefore we aim to ensure all products we use are of the highest standard and eco-friendly to boot. For example - we have recently made the switch to Easiway Systems low VOC products for cleaning our screens. 

Update 23.02.21: All of our inks are eco-friendly, and the only product containing chemicals that we use is Screen Wash, which we have reduced our litre usage by more than half since 2017. In 2017 we were using 340 litres, and in 2021 we are now operating with 120 litres for the year!