There are many reasons to go green, but for business owners, it is often a drive to do better for the community and environment that helps motivate company changes. Tiffany Couture Cleaners, based in Nevada, has made their mark in the sustainable dry cleaning movement by focusing on improving the health of their customers and employees. This Green Business Bureau member is changing the way they do business in order to meet their goal of being more eco-friendly, and their hard work is showing through their multiple, successful green initiatives.
An Eco-Friendly Family Business
Tiffany Couture Cleaners was started by Edward Germano in 1970 after a trip to Las Vegas convinced him and his wife to move from the east coast to launch a dry cleaning shop. Having grown up in the dry cleaning industry, and running a chain of dry cleaning shops called G&G Cleaners with his two brothers, Jack and Emilio, Edward was soon joined by his brothers to help run the business. In 2005, the operation was taken over by Edward’s daughter and son-in-law, Judy and Dan Del Rossi, and has grown into the well-known Las Vegas dry cleaner that it is today. The company is truly a family business, also employing Dan and Judy’s daughter, Gia, as a sales and marketing manager.
Green Business Journey Started in 2005
Today, Tiffany Couture Cleaners provides dry cleaning services for not just residential customers, but also for shows and entertainers on the Las Vegas strip. Since taking over in 2005, Judy and Dan have been focused on increasing green efforts and combating the bad image the dry cleaning industry has received in recent years. During the last 15 years, Tiffany Couture Cleaners has removed and replaced all chemicals, machines and all non-green components in their operation, and work to stay up-to-date on all technology and cleaning products that can help to further improve their business operations while staying environmentally safe.
Safe Green Cleaning Solvent Made From Corn
One of the biggest changes Tiffany Couture Cleaners has made is introducing one of the newest green cleaning systems on the market, SYSTEMK4. The system uses SOLVONK4, the cornerstone solvent of the SYSTEMK4 textile cleaning process and revolutionary in its composition. The blend of hydrocarbon with glycol or modified alcohols cleans better than Perc without any of the environmental or health related concerns. SOLVONK4 is made using carbon grown in corn, right here in the US making SYSTEMK4 the world’s only bio-based dry cleaning system. It has also been awarded the USDA bio-preferred seal for its non-hazardous, non-toxic, and biodegradable formulation.
Investing in Sustainable Changes for Customers and Employees
In addition to this investment, Tiffany Couture Cleaners has implemented green processes throughout various areas of their business practices. This includes:
- Recycling 50 to 60 percent of company hangers each year;
- Eliminating paper garment capes and offering reusable garments bags;
- Applying permanent barcode labels to track client garments, which has eliminated paper tickets;
- Emailing statements to customers to reduce paper waste;
- Enforcing a no-idling policy for delivery trucks and focusing on delivery route optimization to reduce fuel costs;
- Installing energy efficient lighting and high efficiency boilers; and
- Launching an internal recycling program.
“In the Entertainment Capital of the world, people do not often think “green” in Las Vegas,” said Gia Del Rossi, Tiffany Couture Cleaners sales and marketing manager. “We provide the highest quality of cleaning to all of our customers in the most clean, efficient way possible. Our goal is to let all our customers know that you can be Great and Green at the same time!”
Learn more about Tiffany Couture Cleaners, commitment to sustainability.
