BCI Burke: Committed to a Sustainable World

As we create new playgrounds for kids, we like to think we’re helping get our children ready for the future. But it’s also important to create a future that’s ready for the kids. In other words, we have a critical role in ensuring that the world remains a safe and hospitable environment for generations to come.

That’s why BCI Burke is committed to a wide range of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint, save energy, recycle materials and continually reduce the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes. Current initiatives include the following:

PVC:

All of our PVC is free of hazardous heavy metals such as lead. In addition, we have reduced the levels of phthalate plasticizers. Our PVC products comply fully with the industry-leading California standards.

Use of Recycled Materials:

We carefully determine the material composition of our products to balance our responsibilities to a sustainable environment with our commitment to provide high-quality, safe, durable equipment. A typical Burke playground structure and its components has an average recycled content of approximately 35%. This is determined by reviewing the materials in the components.

In our packaging, we encourage the use of materials containing recycled content. Our commitment to the use of recycled materials carries over into marketing materials we publish. With an estimated 56 tons of catalogs being printed and distributed each year, it is critical to use recycled products. We have implemented standards requiring that our catalogs be printed using processes and products meeting the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Recycling

BCI Burke recycled 33 tons of HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and 65 tons of metal in 2007.

Energy

BCI Burke has invested in energy efficient lighting that has reduced our total energy consumption by 16%. We are constantly assessing our energy use in our offices, manufacturing plant and transportation methods.  In addition to energy reduction practices, we are looking into new energy sources and recently joined the Alliant Energy Second Nature™ Program, under which we purchase enough energy from wind and other renewable sources to offset approximately 12 percent of our electrical usage.  Fond du Lac County, where our factory is located, has five wind farms - more than any other in Wisconsin, which is itself a leader in harnessing the wind's power.  By participating in this program, we are able to support further development of this clean, unlimited source of energy.