Juzo; 'Think green and live green'

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Juzo USA took its sustainability efforts to a new level recently by installing a 141-foot wind turbine and 56 solar panels at its manufacturing facility here.

Together, these two initiatives will generate 50,000 kilowatts of electricity annually, according to the company, which makes compression therapy garments.

“We plan on being green in everything we do,” said Annerose Zorn, CEO of Juzo USA and the great-granddaughter of Julius Zorn, Sr., who founded the company. “Sometimes, it can be a little more expensive, but the benefits outweigh this.”

Another recent effort: Reintroducing prairie grasses that were native to the area 100 years ago. The grasses, which are drought resistant, reduce irrigation needs and maintenance costs.

For the most part, the company has been trying to do its part industriously but quietly.

“This just started as a passion of mine,” Zorn said. “We haven't really advertised it much. You have to think green and live green. It's a constant development process.”

Juzo wasn't the only HME manufacturer to make news on and around Earth Day. Kansas City-based Sizewise introduced a pediatric mattress recently that reduces harmful chemical exposure, a follow up to an adult mattress introduced late last year.

“One of the things in the mattress world is you have to build a fire barrier and the fire barrier inherently has a lot of chemicals,” said Mary Nell Westbrook, chief marketing officer of Sizewise. “We've been able to take chemicals, like halogenated and brominated flame retardants, out of three layers: the fabric, the foam and the barrier.”

These individual efforts add up, Zorn said.

“When you encompass all of these things together, it becomes something more,” she said.