WALKING THE WALK ON GREEN: As adoption of sustainable operations become pervasive, a parallel move is afoot among woodworking firms to adopt corporate social responsibility. This steps beyond concerns about wood sourcing, VOC emissions or industrial pollution, to embrace longer-term impact of manufacturing on workers and communities.
|
| Photo courtesy of Steelcase Inc. |
| Green Profiles |
| Steelcase, Grand Rapids, MI EcoCradle packaging (shown), made from cottonseed hulls and plant roots, is used by Steelcase to package casegoods. It composts in 45 days. Kimball Office, Jasper, IN The Pura-fect proprietary coating system is roll or spray coated, then flash cured under UV lamps. It emits no VOCs, sealing wood to stop off-gassing. Read more. Shaw Woodworking, Cotuit, MA Customers seeking LEED points appreciate its use of formaldehyde-free hardwood plywood with PureBond technology as its standard material. Spectrum Industries, Chippewa Falls, WI A on-demand box system eliminated waste of obsolete inventory, In February 2010 Spectrum was awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification. |
OFS BRANDS, Huntingburg, IN: This furniture manufacturer for corporate, healthcare, and hospitality markets, says it invested millions of dollars to develop the Euroluxe finish, a chemically re-engineered urethane clearcoat that reveals wood finishes, but is chemical-, heat- and scratch-resistant and seals wood to achieve indoor air quality standards set by LEED and BIFMA level. OFS also earned GREENGUARD certification on all its products. Euroluxe finish is applied with a patented nano-technology spray process. A new SilverBan technology using silver ions was infused into the Euroluxe wood finish to create an antimicrobial protection on wood surfaces. Read more.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.