“Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a human service agency and network of not-for-profit businesses whose mission is to help people overcome barriers to employment and enjoy the dignity and benefits of work and improved quality of life.”

Goodwill’s mission is to help people improve their quality of life through work and related services. Their good work does not stop there, as Goodwill has additionally proven to be stewards of the environment. Goodwill SWPA is recognized as a leader in re-use and recycling and works diligently to minimize their environmental impact. They receive a large volume of unsellable donated items that they have successfully recycled. Saleable items, which have potential to sell in their stores, are recycled after a few weeks if they are not sold, while non-saleable items, which are not suitable for sale due to damages or poor quality, are recycled immediately. Their efforts have managed to keep more than 65 million pounds of unsellable donations out of landfills since 2010. Goodwill has additionally partnered with Reconnect Pittsburgh and Dell to help recover and reuse computer equipment. At their Fayette Recycling Center in Uniontown, PA, which is heated used furnaces that burn “used oil” as fuel, they process over seven million pounds of recyclable materials each year. Goodwill SWPA’s proactive approach to recycling has generated more than $20 million in revenues to help offset the costs of disposing of donated material that cannot be sold.

In addition to their efforts in recycling, Goodwill’s stores and facilities are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly through their use of Class-G certification. Class-G monitors the air & health, energy, material & water usage, and waste reduction of the various Goodwill facilities to help the company track and improve their sustainability initiatives. Several of their stores and facilities have been noted for going above and beyond, allowing them to receive high scores.

To learn more about Goodwill’s eco-friendly practices, click here.