Z-Man Fishing Products

Z-Man has a thirty-year history of manufacturing non-toxic fishing lures, so sustainability was already a part of their DNA. However, the company decided to further pursue improvements to its sustainability efforts. Z-Man Fishing worked with Emerger Strategies to complete a sustainability assessment, where they created baselines of Z-Man’s energy, waste, and water usage, as well as their carbon footprint. They also created a Strategic Sustainability Plan that included sustainability goals around reducing Z-Man’s waste and carbon footprint.

Through this process, it was discovered that Z-Man Fishing’s headquarters was an excellent candidate for solar power, which would help them conserve energy, reduce their carbon footprint, enhance community impact with cleaner air, and reduce their operational costs. In 2021, Z-Man installed solar panels at their manufacturing plant and saved more than $80,000 annually on their energy bill all while reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Daniel Nussbaum, CEO of Z-Man, said, “Rather than paying big energy bills during the summer, we are selling electricity back to the power company. It is a pretty exciting development that is exceeded our initial hopes and started us well down a path toward minimizing our carbon footprint.”