The Shovlin Mattress Factory on South Avenue has been around for 50 years, though Ron Shovlin’s name has been on it for the past 13. His company has become perhaps the most eco-friendly business in Fanwood, if not Union County, thanks to a significant commitment to recycling, solar power and reforestation.
“For every wood product we sell, we plant a tree,” Shovlin said recently. “We work through an organization called One Tree Planted. To date, we’ve planted 45-hundred trees along the Appalachian Trail.”
One Tree Planted has planting projects around the world. Shovlin picked the Appalachian Trail because it’s the closest project to New Jersey
“Giving back to the environment is important,” he added. “That’s the reason we also went solar recently.”
Solar panels on the roof of Shovlin Mattress Factory
Over the summer, Shovlin invested $80-thousand in a full solar plant that powers everything in his building. His roof is covered with solar panels. He expects to break even in about three years. It’s too early to tell how much he will save on power over what he used to pay the utility company
In addition, all used mattresses the company removes from homes are fully recycled by a third-party vendor who converts all of the mattress components into other products such as carpet padding and pet beds.
Caleb Cohen, Fanwood Green Team
“This is the holy grail of products,” says Caleb Cohen, Co-Chairman of the Fanwood Green Team. “We have no waste. I’m so happy to see a company like Shovlin do what we call closed-loop recycling. The item enters the manufacturing process, goes to the consumer, is then recycled, and then all the individual components put back into the chain to be manufactured into new products.”
“We’re happy to whatever little bit we can do to help,” Shovlin said.
Shovlin Mattress Factory is located at 35 South Avenue, Fanwood.
The Fanwood Green Team is a group of volunteers dedicated to the greening of the town and recently helped Fanwood earn its Bronze level Sustainable Jersey certification.
