Sustainability

Our Home, Our Responsibility

At Nostalgic Warehouse, we take protecting the environment seriously. Our offices are nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and the vast natural beauty around us is the backdrop of our lives. Over the years we have implemented various steps to reuse, reduce and recycle materials at our plant in Denver. We use sustainable practices and environmentally friendly materials as much as possible in our manufacturing process.

Our core products are made from solid brass which can be recycled ad-infinitum, and there is a ready market for brass scrap. We send all brass shavings and scrap from the manufacturing process back to our supplier for inclusion into our brass forging ingots. Even brass dust is recycled this way.

Vintage Door Hardware

Many other manufacturers use cheaper cast or stamped brass. Stamped brass hardware is hollow and cannot be recycled. After a few years of use, it ends up in a landfill. Solid brass hardware can easily last a lifetime, dutifully functioning through multiple generations of owners of the same home.

Our lacquered products are dipped in a clear coating and then baked. No spraying equipment is used, as overspray can pollute the atmosphere. This non-polluting dipping process provides a complete encapsulation of the hardware to prevent any tarnishing or discoloration.

The ultimate choice for environmentally friendly hardware is solid brass with no coating applied. In the industry, this is called “unlacquered brass” and sometimes “living finish.” This hardware will age naturally. For example, unlacquered brass will develop a warm patina, making the metal appear darker. Oil-rubbed bronze, another living finish, will reveal highlights of lighter copper on areas receiving the most use over time.

If the hardware ever wears out, it can be removed, recycled, and made into new brass products. Our brass hardware is manufactured using a combination of new and recycled brass.

To further our mission of responsible manufacturing, we strive to implement sustainability into our day-to-day operations. Our warehouses are lit with LED fixtures to save energy. We use a paperless inventory system to help reduce the amount of overall waste in our facility. We also use recyclable materials for our packaging—make sure you recycle those boxes!