Cintas Tackles Textile Waste through Partnership with Cincinnati Non-Profit

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 21 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste ends up in landfills each year.¹ In an effort to mitigate this issue, Cintas Corporation CTAS has partnered with Know Hope, a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals living in poverty in third-world countries. Cintas will provide Know Hope with leftover material from its uniform production process, which will be used to line reusable burlap bags sold by the charity. Funds from the bags will be used to purchase products and provide services to families in Mexico, Africa, Haiti and Guatemala.

“The average U.S. citizen throws away 70 pounds of textiles each year, but corporations also have a responsibility to help divert this waste from landfills,” said Melanie Boyle, Manager of Sustainability, Cintas. “This partnership is a win-win because we're supporting a local non-profit in their mission to make the world a better place while maintaining Cintas' commitment to both sustainability and being a good corporate citizen in the communities in which we do business.”

Each day, more than 5 million employees go to work in a Cintas uniform. The material from one work uniform, including the Cintas Kenton Shirt, can be used to line each Know Hope bag. Know Hope produced approximately 4,300 bags and 2,500 smaller accessories last year. The most recent donation of material from Cintas will go towards funding Know Hope's first Orphan Adoption Grant through Show Hope.

Through donations and profits from sales of the bags, Know Hope has been able to provide services to multiple ministries and organizations around the world. Its work includes:

• Building an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico and making improvements to an orphanage in Guatemala
• Providing breakfast programs for the Lo Mejor del Trigo ministry in Tijuana, Mexico
• Purchasing and distributing 100 heavy blankets for people living in shanty towns in Tijuana, Mexico
• Providing food packs for people in Africa and Haiti

“When I started Know Hope, I had no money to invest so I had to make it happen one bag sale at a time,” said Connie Baker, founder of Know Hope. “The textile donations from Cintas are going to allow us to produce a steady supply of bags and make a big impact on families who are less fortunate.”

For more information about Cintas' sustainability initiatives, please visit www.cintas.com/green. For more information on Know Hope, please visit http://www.knowhopebags.com/.

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 and document management services for more than 1 million businesses. 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 http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/