HQ Percussion Products from D’Addario & Co. recently entered the realm of environmentally responsible drumming with its new Eco Pad, a drum pad made entirely from recycled materials.
The Eco Pad uses rubber from recycled tires for the surface and wood waste material for the base. The product is available in three sizes: a 6” one-sided mountable pad, a 12” two-sided pad and a 9” pad with adjustable snare simulator.
The Eco Pad is shaped in the mold of the standard six-sided recycling logo.
HQ’s Eco Pad isn’t the percussion industry’s only foray into environmentally responsible drumming, though. Remo Inc. has been awarded the California Waste Reduction Award every year since 1997, and the company prides itself on its environmentally conscious fabrication processes. According to Sue Kincade, marketing and media coordinator, Remo has used eco-friendly practices for the past 50 years. This year, it released a logo called ECO-Seal to brand the company’s efforts.
“Remo Belli [Remo’s founder] himself is a very socially conscious person,” Kincade says. “His concern about helping other people with their health, the environment, it’s just in his personality. He’s a very compassionate person, and he’s molded us in the same thought. It’s in our blood. It’s just what we do.”
Remo’s drum shells are made from a lightweight, durable material called Acousticon, comprising recycled wood fi bers. The company developed the material in 1983.
To read more about Acousticon and Remo’s other environmental ventures, visit www.remo.com. For more about the Eco Pad, visit www.hqpercussion.com.
