Social & Environmental Responsibility

rPET Fabric Process Explained: Step 1: Type one plastic resin Step 2: Crushing and washing Step 3: ePET resin Step 4: Spinning and crimping Step 5: rPET fiber processing The use of rPET material increases the lifecycle of polyester and plastic water bottles

Our Commitment

Social and Environmental Awareness are two very important topics we have a strong stance on and are always looking for ways to improve. Through the years we’ve seen the impact that manufacturing and distribution have had on our planet. It can be overwhelming at times, but taking small steps is what we’ve done to do our part as a business, and citizens of our beautiful planet. Being a family-owned and operated company, we share a close relationship with our local community and have made a commitment to preserve the area we live in, as well as, the planet we live on.

We are doing this by implementing green practices into our business operations. Some of these include recycling programs, waste management protocols, and implementing energy-efficient equipment & practices into our daily routine. This commitment is then taken a step further by actively leading local environmental groups to help educate and promote environmental awareness.

Our hope is to inspire others along the way so they too can make an effort to improve their footprint as we are. If you’re looking for some ideas on how you can get started, let us know! We’d love to talk with you about what you can do to get started on operating with a green mind.

Green text that says "why recycled plush?"
Gray recycling logo and green text that says "recycled products"

We are proud to introduce recycled products to our product line. This offer will continue to grow, as we are actively investing research and development resources to create a more sustainable product line.

Gray hand and blossom logo with green text that says "activism"

Educating fellow businesses and support green initiatives is what we love to do. Whether it’s a simple conversation with someone or actively sponsoring or running an event, being proactive is something we are passionate about.

Gray icon of a leaf and a computer with green text that says "sustainability"

Watching our footprint on a holistic level for our business is a key element of our social responsibility. By utilizing recycling programs, energy efficient equipment and educating our team, we make the highest effort to be as sustainable as possible.

Gray bike and sun logo with green text that says "green culture"

Our Team takes just as many steps as we do when it comes to being green. From the office to enjoying the outdoors, we love our planet and feel compelled to preserve it.

Green text that says "plush for the planet recycled plush line"
Collage demonstrating the impact of rPET used in plush

Projects

Since first starting our journey of what sustainability truly means within a business in 2018, we have met many amazing people and have learned more then we possibly could of imagined over the last 6 years. With hot words like Carbon Footprint, Green Technology, and Eco Business, it’s easy to get lost in the rapids of what running a green business actually means. Then you add the dynamic of being a small business owner or corporate day to day work flows, who really has the time to make change and learn how to be a sustainable business? This is a very realistic question for many and one that we battle ourselves with supply chain crisis and inflation in a post covid world.

It is with these reasons in mind why we are making a conscious effort to share what we’ve learned since 2017 and how we have modified our business to become a more environmentally conscious business. Our hope is to assist in making sense of the green washing mis-information out there by laying out some of the fundamental changes we’ve made within The Bear Factory through our education of sustainable business practices.

Green text "partnership in action"

The Bear Factory announced the launch of its new sustainability education focus for youth that will be supported by a strategic partnership with the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to make sustainability an integral part of every child’s K-12 learning experience. The motivation of this partnership is to create educational resources and curriculum for families on various themes regarding environmental sustainability and action.

Creating an environmental literacy resource center is the next evolutionary step The Bear Factory has taken since first releasing Plush for the Planet in 2020. Providing educational resources with the plush line will create unique learning opportunities for children who can now associate their lovable, sustainable, plush buddies with a relevant sustainability topic. For instance, they can learn about the ecosystems that they themselves and the animals their plush buddies represent are a part of. Another, less obvious, beneficiary of these resources are the business owners and product retailers who will find content focused on sustainable business practices in the content library.

“We have learned so much about our business ‘paw print’ and the impact we have on our planet over the last few years.” said Jimmy Banish, Chief Operations Officer and Partner at The Bear Factory. “Creating an amazing product that supports a circular economy has been a main focus for us, but we also now see the need to create simple education opportunities for all of our stakeholders. We have historically led the industry in design and innovation. We now also want to lead in education and implementation with regards to sustainable business.”

The bear factory launches sustainability education for youth in partnership with the children's environmental literacy foundation

While The Bear Factory’s sustainable plush line has grown in popularity over the last three years, it recognized the value of impactful educational content to heighten their impact. This is where connecting with education professionals who already are seeing results and success is paramount to the program’s launch. CELF has been working since 2003 to embed sustainability across core curriculum, reaching over 1.5 million students and 15,000 teachers across the country with education for sustainability programming.

“Our team at CELF is thrilled to launch this partnership with The Bear Factory, who with Plush for the Planet is modeling what sustainable business practices can look like, and connecting those practices to learning opportunities for children and families,” said Tara Stafford Ocansey, Executive Director at CELF. “This partnership will help to inspire future sustainable business leaders and conscious consumers, and we look forward to building our library of interdisciplinary, action-oriented learning resources with the support of The Bear Factory.”