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As we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Swan–The Watering Company also has something to celebrate. For more than 25 years, we’ve been helping to preserve the environment, using recycled materials in our garden hoses that re-purpose more than 60 million pounds of plastic, rubber and other potential garbage each year, keeping it from landfills.
In fact, 90 percent of the garden hoses Swan manufactures each year utilize recycled materials. That’s equivalent to more than 100,000 miles of garden hose—enough to wrap around the Earth more than 4.5 times! To break it down even further, each of our PVC and rubber hoses contain 90 percent recycled materials, while our soaker hoses contain 65 percent. That makes us the proud leader in our industry for how extensively we use recycled materials in our products.
Swan’s PVC garden hoses, for example, include about 250 different hoses made with recycled materials. You can find many of them by clicking here. These hoses include a thick core layer of recycled PVC composed mainly of recycled plastic wire coating and pool liners, wrapped with another layer of recycled materials. These recycled layers are then sandwiched between two layers of virgin material: One forms the inner water barrier to protect the water from coming into contact with the recycled materials. The other forms the outer jacket to protect the user’s hands from the same. This is illustrated nicely in the following diagram:
We source the raw materials from various suppliers nationwide, but mainly from those close to Swan’s plant locations in Texas and Nevada. The raw materials typically go through a shredding process and are then separated to isolate the materials we’re interested in. These materials are then blended and pelletized to homogenize the mixture. The result is a high-quality recycled material, equal in terms of performance to non-recycled hoses.
Swan’s rubber hoses, meanwhile, contain 90 percent recycled materials such as recycled tires, while our popular soaker hose line found here contains 65 percent. We also recycle what we call our “scrap hoses” that are made with manufacturing defects during our production process.
Swan’s Viper hose, hot water rubber hoses and Element line, in contrast, do not contain recycled materials. Our Element hoses, for instance, found here can only use virgin material because they’re built to be drinking-water-safe, and thus free from lead, zinc and phthalates.
According to Swan Vice President of Product Development Ben Williams, the use of recycled materials has given the company a double benefit over the years.
“[Recycled materials] allow us to manufacture the highest-quality products in the world at prices our consumers are very happy with, while at the same time allowing us to consume scrap material that otherwise would have gone into a landfill potentially,” Williams says.
Just as importantly, the use of recycled materials maintains Swan’s commitment to making the world better and more sustainable through the experience, knowledge and creativity that flows through every hose it makes.
Says Williams, “[Using recycled materials] supports our corporate mission to be the leader in innovative and environmentally-friendly watering solution systems.
So tell us: What do you think of Swan’s recycling efforts, and what will you do for Earth Day 2022? The theme this year is “Invest In Our Planet.” According to Earthday.org, the goal is to engage more than 1 billion people, governments and institutions, along with businesses, to push aside the barriers that have been erected by the fossil fuel industry and economy, and redirect all the attention to creating a 21st-century economy that brings back the healing and health of the planet, protects all species including our own, and provides opportunities for everyone on the planet.
You can join this year’s Earth Day events online here on April 22, as well as participate in these 52 actions and tips to invest in our planet every day of the year.
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