Exchange for a better future
2019/08/09

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As the planet warms, we see more extreme weather events; sea levels rising and longer droughts.  Climate change is the culprit and it is created by burning fossil fuels like petroleum and coal which add heat-trapping gases to Earth’s atmosphere.  A group effort is needed, where people, companies (like EAB Exchange-A-Blade) and communities work together to reduce these negative effects.

Why does a power tool accessory company care about this?  One word: VISION

EAB Exchange-A-Blade’s founder had a VISION back in the 70s for an exchange system that would benefit the end user, the dealer/store and of course, the planet.  Today, 43 years later, EAB Exchange-A-Blade remains committed to playing our part in reducing the impact on our environment—one power tool accessory at a time.

How does EAB Exchange-A-Blade help reduce the impact on our environment?

• Collect - We collect 60 tons of used power tool accessories a year from thousands of hardware/lumber stores across North America, where EAB Exchange-A-Blade customers exchange used blades for a credit on their next purchase.
• Remanufacture / Recycle– All power tool accessories returned to EAB Exchange-A-Blade go through a meticulous inspection to determine if they can be remanufactured or recycled. Before remanufacturing, all returned blades go through a rigorous ten-step process. This reduces the need to manufacture new power tool accessories. 
• Eliminate chemicals - Most power tool accessories on the market today are made with chromium and are painted. Not at EAB Exchange-A-Blade to minimize our environmental impact we have eliminated chromium in the manufacturing of our products, and we leave them unpainted.
• Packaging - Our preference for bulk and minimal packaging means you’re not throwing away—and paying for—unnecessary packaging. By design, we seek out innovative, yet safe packaging for every EAB Exchange-A-Blade product to minimize negative environmental impacts. 
• No plastic - Innovative packaging helps reduce or eliminate plastic in most of the packaging of our products. Why use plastic that will end up in a landfill or the ocean when we can avoid it? 
• Driving – We believe every effort counts, that is why our president drives an electric vehicle and our sales force across North America drive hybrid vehicles.
• Workplace culture – From recycling bins, recycling battery and paper to using timers in lighting, our workplace culture embodies our green philosophy.

How can EAB Exchange-A-Blade help YOU

1. Buy	Buy your EAB power tool accessory from over 500 exchangeable items
2. Exchange	Once it’s dull, just return to the store and receive a credit for a new one.
3. Save	With the credit exchange system you’ll get significant savings over buying comparable competitors’ products

You can save up to 40% on the purchase of your power tool accessories

How does EAB help the planet

Manufacturing of power tool accessories requires vast amounts of steel and production of steel uses many of our planet’s diminishing natural resources like iron ore, limestone, coking coal and thousands of gallons of water, not to mention manpower, technology, manufacturing facilities, tons of heavy duty equipment, and a sophisticated and costly transportation infrastructure.

Our exchange system allows for yearly reductions of 60 tons of steel as well as reductions of: 

• 88 tons of iron ore
• 46 tons of coking coal
• 7 tons of limestone
• 60% in energy
• 58% in CO2 emissions

How can YOU help?

1) Green commute - In Canada, transportation accounts for 24 percent of climate-polluting emissions, a close second to the oil and gas industry. You can help by:

• Taking public transit
• Riding a bike
• Car-sharing
• Switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle

2) Reduce your energy use and save money! – Did you know that on a per capita basis, Canada is one of the top energy consumers in the world? You can help by:

• Using efficient light bulbs
• Using light switches with timers
• Turning off computers, TVs and other electronics if you’re not using them
• Washing clothes in cold or warm (not hot) water
• Installing a programmable thermostat.
• Looking for the Energy Star label when buying new appliances
• Winterize your home to prevent heat from escaping

3) Diet - Food production causes great damage to the environment, via greenhouse gases from livestock, deforestation and water shortages from farming, and vast ocean dead zones from agricultural pollution. You can help by:

• Eating meat-free meals
• Buying organic and local whenever possible
• Reducing or stopping food waste

4) Consume less, waste less and recycle - There are currently more than five trillion pieces of plastic in the world's oceans and each year, 400 million tons of plastic are produced with 40% of that being single-use. You can help by:

• Buying only what you need
• Buying from green brands that really care about the environment
• Buying products that can be recycled
• Avoiding plastic – buy products with reduced or no plastic in their packaging
• Recycling – many of the products and/or their packaging is recyclable, take that extra step and recycle them

Help us make a difference

By participating in the EAB green exchange system, you help keep thousands of tons of scrap metal out of landfills, reducing the need to produce new products and the negative effects of this process. You can make a difference.

Sources:

• https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/top-10-ways-can-stop-climate-change/
• https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
• https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/42810179
• https://www.nrcan.gc.ca
• https://www.isri.org/