In honor of the 45th annual Earth Day celebration, Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) today released its 2014 sustainability savings and community contributions. Through annual sales of eco-friendly apparel collections, which use plant-based ingredients and plastic bottles to create fibers, Cintas diverted more than 19.5 million 16.9 ounce plastic bottles from landfills—the equivalent of placing 16.9 ounce bottles end-to-end from Las Vegas to New York City. Cintas outlines environmental performance initiatives in its latest corporate responsibility report.

“The theme of Earth Day this year is ‘It’s Our Turn to Lead,’ serving as a reminder for everyone to step up and make a positive impact on our planet,” said Pamela Brailsford, Senior Director of Supplier Diversity and Sustainability, Cintas. “We lead by supporting local communities and offering sustainable products and services. Through these efforts, we reduce our environmental footprint and help customers to do the same.”

In addition to its eco-apparel collections with recycled polyester, Cintas also saves energy through the use of Dupont™ Sorona® fabric, which is utilized in its AR Red™ and Jay Godfrey™ premium suiting collections. DuPont™ Sorona is an eco-friendly, plant-based fiber made with renewable, naturally occurring starch. These collections were created in collaboration with two well-known designers known for contemporary silhouettes, Jay Godfrey and Austin Reed, and consist of options for both men and women.

The production of this fabric uses 30 percent less energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions use in the manufacturing process by as much as 63 percent. In 2014, the sales of the two collections saved the equivalent of 1,188 gallons of gas, or 28 barrels of gasoline.1

By utilizing recycled or plant-based fibers in apparel programs in 2014, Cintas customers have helped save the energy equivalent to:

  • Powering a laptop for more than 6 million work days
  • Lighting an average-sized building for more than 43 years
  • Powering an air conditioner for 222 years

In addition to sustainable apparel, Cintas operates industrial laundries that offer the following annual environmental savings, when compared to a home laundry:

  • A 50 percent water savings, or the equivalent of filling 1,329 Olympic-sized pools
  • A 66 percent energy reduction, or enough electricity to heat 7,443 homes
  • An 80 percent soap reduction, or the equivalent of 10 million containers of home detergent.

Cintas also reduces waste through its community outreach programs. In 1998, Cintas developed a partnership with Cincinnati-based Matthew 25: Ministries and has donated more than 13.6 million pounds of product to Matthew 25 to aid its mission of serving people in need throughout the U.S. and worldwide.

For more information about Cintas’ environmental sustainability initiatives, please visit www.cintas.com/green.

About Cintas Corporation

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.

1 42 U.S. gallons in one barrel according to the U.S. Energy Administration. All calculations are based on EPA equivalents found on http://www2.epa.gov/recycle