Made In America Matters
We continue to hear from our politicians, news media, neighbors and friends about the impact that buying American-made goods can have on our economy, local communities, security, safety and environment. Sure, overseas manufacturing might promise lower prices, but at what cost? We believe that the American consumer should be ...... Read More
Made In America Matters
We continue to hear from our politicians, news media, neighbors and friends about the impact that buying American-made goods can have on our economy, local communities, security, safety and environment. Sure, overseas manufacturing might promise lower prices, but at what cost? We believe that the American consumer should be empowered with the knowledge of what widespread good comes from purchasing an American-made product, and that across all categories of kitchenware, there needs to be an American-made option for purchase.
Since 1946, Nordic Ware’s business model of keeping its manufacturing in the USA has resulted in a smaller eco-footprint, local job creation, stability, and has allowed us to produce durable goods that withstand years of use. Domestic production has also given us the distinct advantage of being able to carefully monitor what goes into our products since they’re made right here in our own back yard.
Nordic Ware’s Minneapolis-based manufacturing facilities currently provide jobs for hundreds of people in America at a time when most manufacturers in our industry have moved overseas. We employ more than 300 people in our local community, who are in turn able to support their families because of these jobs. There are far-reaching benefits as well; consider the many local suppliers we are able to support with additional business on a daily basis when we make our products:
Minnesota and Wisconsin-based Packaging and Corrugated suppliers
Metal and Raw Material suppliers across the United States
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin-based coatings suppliers
Local machine shops
Local tool and die makers
Local contractors for services we require
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Sustainability is no longer an option; it's a requirement
Let’s face it: we live in a world where it’s necessary to read labels and make sure that what we’re buying is safe for our families, especially when it comes to products that we cook food on and eat from. While some level of comfort can be discerned from looking at the country of origin or what material a product is made from, it leaves the curious consumer with many questions:
Was this product produced with any regard to environmental impact?
Did the manufacturer adhere to federal environmental regulations? Better yet, were there any regulations in the country it was produced in?
Were fair labor practices employed? Were health benefits and fair wages given, and was child labor forbidden?
Did the factory have any safety procedures for its employees to keep them out of harm’s way?
How closely was this product supervised during its manufacture? Can I be certain no substitute ingredients were used to make it beyond what is labeled?
How far did this product have to travel before it got to the store I found it in?
Sustainability is something that Nordic Ware takes very seriously, and we believe the term reaches far beyond what a product is made from and whether it can be recycled or not. We pride ourselves on taking an all-encompassing approach to sustainability, and base many of our company decisions around whether or not something will help us be viable and significant for many years to come.
Meeting and exceeding US environmental regulations for air and water, using BPA-free and melamine-free materials in our products, and using nonstick coatings that are water-based rather than solvent-based are just a handful of the ways that Nordic Ware participates in being sustainable. We are able to focus our close attention on each and every product as it is made, since our corporate headquarters are located at the same facility as our products are produced in. Our employees enjoy fair wages, a generous benefit program, on-the-job training, and above all, a safe and welcoming work environment.
But we don’t stop there.
We believe that one huge step toward being a sustainable company is by reducing our eco-footprint. Given that we produce our products in America, it’s not hard to see how our products travel a significantly shorter distance than a product coming from overseas before it makes its way into your home. Shorter distance traveled equates to a smaller carbon footprint.
The little things we do each day throughout our factory add up in the long run to create a noticeable difference, and keep us on course with being a fully sustainable business:
Nordic Ware has been awarded the Green Business designation by our city and is a member of Minnesota WasteWise
Energy-efficient lighting and heating systems are installed throughout our facility.
Our factory and manufacturing ovens are heated with natural gas, the cleanest of conventional fuels available
We practice energy conservation by reducing energy usage in all forms when areas of a facility are not in use.
Nordic Ware consistently exceeds US federal, state and local standards for wastewater, solid waste treatment, and disposal
We request no idling of trucks at our shipping docks to reduce air emissions
Obsolete or "second" quality products are donated to local charities rather than thrown away
We recycle many tons of aluminum and steel scrap each year from our factory
We give our factory employees time daily for stretching exercises to prevent repetitive stress injuries
Nordic Ware maintains a plot of land on our grounds devoted to organic gardening, with harvest donated to our local foodshelf weekly