While working towards keeping the environment clean and healthy may seem like it can take a ton of effort, doing your part can be as simple as reading a label. Buying eco-friendly pet products Made in the USA not only supports keeping our environment clean but also helps the American economy grow. Petmate’s Edison Green Award winning facility is recognized for its efforts to reduce our community's carbon footprint, create Green Collar jobs through new innovation methods, and improve community health and self-sufficiency. With that in mind, here are three reasons to consider buying American-made, eco-friendly pet products.

Uses Recycled Material

¹Many eco-friendly products are made from recycled materials. By using pre-consumer, recyclable materials purchased in the U.S. to produce goods, the carbon footprint of the finished product is reduced, while also creating a continuous cycle of U.S. production and distribution fueled by eco-friendly manufacturing processes. The processes that make these products also tend to be much more efficient and reuse nonrenewable resources, like petroleum used to make plastics. Manufacturing with alternative, sustainable materials that are biodegradable and recyclable is vital to minimizing the impact we have on the environment. More than 50 percent of Petmate products, like kennels, litter pans, and shelters, are proudly Made in the USA from pre-consumer recycled plastic content. Buying pet products made using these practices will help reduce the amount of waste deposited into landfills that can be hazardous to the environment.

Boosts the Economy

Buying American-made, eco-friendly products plays a huge role in boosting the American economy. ³When you spend money on a product made in the U.S. all the proceeds stay here. The money is recycled back into the U.S. economy to pay American workers, allowing local businesses to expand and create more jobs. This also collects more American tax dollars (rather than the tax dollars going to another country) to fund education, healthcare, and many other public services throughout the country. Continuing this cycle of buying American-made goods is important to growing a strong American economy.

Creates More Jobs at Home

³Manufacturing is the largest job sector in the U.S. economy, creating millions of jobs for American citizens. When these jobs are relocated overseas they rarely come back and a large portion of the population takes a hit. Due to such a wide difference in labor cost, American jobs are lost each year to workers in countries making a fraction of what it cost to pay American workers. Buying American-made products creates demand for businesses to keep these jobs local and keep Americans employed.

At Petmate, we proudly produce in the USA at our three Arlington, Texas, facilities employing hundreds of workers that strive to strengthen our environmentally green practices and keep millions of pounds of plastic out of landfills. Continuing to improve our products and focusing on using the eco-friendliest processes is a top priority. While there are many ways you can help to keep the environment healthy, buying eco-friendly pet products is just another great step to ensuring future generations are met with a clean and sustainable world. To learn more Petmae's green initiative, click here.

Sources:

1. http://green.wikia.com
2. http://www.americanmadematters.com
3. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com