Fixture parts are submerged into an alkaline soap solution. The degreaser's rinse waters are clean enough for direct discharge into the sewage system.

Company Millwright Dave Misel takes care of our closed-loop water treatment system.

Lean & "Green" Manufacturing

You can blame Jim Kelly. The founder of Rejuvenation decided to integrate environmental considerations into the manufacturing process. In 1997, he learned about The Natural Step (TNS), a framework grounded in natural science that helps organizations and businesses integrate processes to support sustainability.

Thanks to Jim, we volunteered to be the first participant in an innovative pilot project designed to integrate TNS sustainability principles into an "environmental management system" (EMS) based on International Standard ISO 14001. Sponsored by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, and the Oregon Natural Step Network, it provided the basis for Rejuvenation to analyze the environmental impact of our manufacturing, and the framework to make metal cleaning, metal coating, antiquing, polishing, plating, and painting processes more environmentally benign.

Adopting a hybrid of "Lean Manufacturing" in our factory has improved efficiency, safety, and quality. For example, the water-based ultrasonic degreasing equipment pictured above produces cleaner parts with non-toxic materials. And our closed-loop ion exchange system treats water from the antiquing process, extracting heavy metals for safe disposal. This eliminates discharge to the sewer and allows us to re-use the processed water. New equipment and process controls in the metal coating area have also lowered volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.