Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability 

A Comprehensive Approach to Eco-friendly Product Development

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Overview

Colecraft Commercial Furnishings, a leader in office furniture design and production, integrates environmental stewardship into the core of our philosophy. Sustainability, health, and human well-being are central to Colecraft’s product development and manufacturing processes.  Colecraft makes a total commitment to minimizing environmental impact, promoting sustainability, and prioritizing health through its product offerings. We focus on compliance with LEED credits, the use of recycled and rapidly renewable materials, certified wood, low-emitting materials, and other certifications that ensure the environmental and health benefits of our furniture.

From product development to manufacturing, Colecraft strives to minimize its environmental footprint, ensuring that its products not only benefit the environment but also the people who interact with them.

Product Design and Engineering: Colecraft designs and engineers its furniture with minimal waste in mind.  We use sophisticated software to minimize yield loss in the selection of our raw materials, and throughout the manufacturing process. We also source sustainable materials.

Just-In-Time Manufacturing: Colecraft’s sophisticated MRP software, inventory management system and continuous flow manufacturing processes minimize raw and work-in-process inventory.    

Facilities: Colecraft strives to decrease our environmental impact, whether energy, water or material use.  Recent examples include retrofitting our offices and factory with High Efficiency T8 lighting, and adding additional insulation to our offices substantially reducing energy consumption.

Efficiency:  Colecraft uses years of engineering expertise in concert with start of the art manufacturing capabilities to manufacture our products to the highest level of quality in the most efficient possible way.  We work to use lean processes to eliminate waste every step of the way.  We employ sophisticated material optimization software to allow us to achieve higher yields from our raw materials.  This ensures that more raw material ends up in our products and less ends up as waste.

Longevity: A truly “Green” product must initially be designed and manufactured using the most environmentally responsible available methods, but we can’t stop there.  We must also craft our products to be robust and long-lasting to eliminate the need for new products.  The greenest possible product is the one that doesn’t need to be made.  All of the products that we create come with a 10 year warranty.

Sustainability

Colecraft’s sustainability philosophy revolves around three key areas: minimizing environmental impact, prioritizing health, and ensuring the use of eco-friendly materials.

1.  Minimizing Environmental Impact
A core goal at Colecraft is to produce products that minimize the environmental impact through all stages of their lifecycle. This includes raw material selection, production processes, product performance, and end-of-life considerations.

2.  Health and Well-being
While environmental impact is a priority, Colecraft places equal emphasis on ensuring that products are healthy for the people who use them. Throughout product design and development, Colecraft strives to use materials that avoid harmful emissions from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde.

3. LEED Credits and Sustainable Materials

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system provides a framework for developing green, energy-efficient, and sustainable buildings. Colecraft supports LEED initiatives by offering furniture solutions that contribute toward various LEED credits.

MR Credit 4.1 and 4.2: Recycled Content
Colecraft’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the use of recycled materials across its furniture offerings. Key materials include steel, aluminum, and millwork components reducing the environmental footprint of Colecraft’s products. Colecraft’s medium-density fiberboard (MDF) also contains post-consumer recycled content.  These materials help Colecraft contribute to LEED’s MR Credit 4.1 and 4.2, which recognize the use of recycled content in products.

MR Credit 6: Rapidly Renewable Materials
Colecraft can incorporate rapidly renewable materials, such as bamboo veneer and wheatboard, into its millwork components. Bamboo, a highly renewable resource, is used for its aesthetic qualities and environmental benefits. 

MR Credit 7: Certified Wood
Colecraft is committed to responsible forest management by offering FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified substrates for all millwork components and wood veneers. FSC certification promotes sustainable forestry practices and ensures that wood products are harvested in an environmentally responsible manner. Colecraft can specify FSC Chain of Custody certification to ensure transparency and traceability in the sourcing of wood products, aligning with LEED’s MR Credit 7.

Conclusion

Colecraft’s comprehensive approach to sustainability and environmental stewardship makes the company a leader in the office furniture industry. Colecraft not only contributes to a greener environment but also ensures healthier spaces for its users. Through its commitment to sustainability and health, Colecraft is helping to shape the future of workplace design, one environmentally responsible product at a time.

References

1. U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). (n.d.). LEED v4 for Building Design and Construction. Retrieved from https://www.usgbc.org/leed.
2. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). (n.d.). FSC Certification. Retrieved from https://us.fsc.org/.
3. BIFMA. (2006). BIFMA X7.1-2006: Standard for Formaldehyde and TVOC Emissions of Furniture Products. Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association.
4. SCS Global Services. (n.d.). Indoor Advantage Gold Certification. Retrieved from https://www.scsglobalservices.com/.