RESTON, VA — The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Assn., a trade association in the United States for manufacturers of kitchen cabinets, bath vanities, decorative laminate products and suppliers to the industry, now will offer Environmental Stewardship Program certification to cabinet industry suppliers. 

KCMA’s decision to open the program to suppliers and associate members of the organization, in addition to cabinet manufacturers, is the latest step in its effort to continuously improve ESP, expand the program’s reach and advocate environmental responsibility within the cabinet industry, according to the KCMA.

“Cabinet manufacturers have responded so positively to ESP that many key suppliers have expressed interest in participating in the program,” said Dick Titus, executive vice president, KCMA. “We are excited to extend the program benefits to cabinet industry suppliers and give them the opportunity to be recognized for their efforts.”

Suppliers seeking ESP certification must comply with the same set of requirements that manufacturers are currently held to, and will be equally awarded the ESP seal so that customers can identify sustainable products. In order to become ESP-certified, cabinet manufacturers and suppliers must meet requirements in the categories of air quality, product resource management, process resource management, environmental stewardship and community relations. This holistic approach to environmental certification examines the manufacturing process from the raw materials supplied all the way to the end product, versus other certification programs that only look at the product.

“Since ESP’s inception, KCMA has recognized the importance of sound environmental practices across all levels of the supply chain by including standards for reviewing vendor policies, educating hardwood suppliers and purchasing certified materials,” Titus said. “With the extension of ESP, we hope to make further progress towards achieving this end.”