How green is your company?

"Green Building' or 'Green Manufacturing' is a term used to describe Land use, building design, manufacturing and construction strategies designed to help reduce energy consumption, environmental impact and depletion of natural resources. In the not-too-distant future, companies will have to be more cognizant of impending environmental regulations and growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products. Many companies are far behind in acknowledging and addressing the environmental concerns of governments and consumers."

The above preamble to Canyon Creek Cabinet Company's "Green" statement hits the nail on the head in assessing the burgeoning green building movement and the sense of urgency for wood products companies of all sizes and stripes to get on board or risk missing the boat entirely.

Canyon Creek of Monroe, WA, is a company that obviously gets it and is not shy about trumpeting its environmental achievements to the world on its Web site. The company's commitment to the environment has earned it numerous awards from federal, state and Local agencies. Many of these accolades, including those related to air quality, energy efficiency and waste reduction, were highlighted in the November 2004 issue, when Wood & Wood Products named Canyon Creek "America's Best."

Steelcase, Herman Miller and HON are among major office furniture manufacturers that acknowledge environmental programs as a guiding Light of their corporate mission and operations.

In the introduction of the company's 13-page 2006 Environmental Report, Steelcase President and CEO James Hackett writes, "(W)e've been dedicated to serving our customers in a way that never becomes a disservice to our planet. We believe that, big or small, every action that safeguards and restores the environment is significant."

A small sampling of the environmental achievements Steelcase cites in its 2006 report includes initiating "an end of ownership service," which allows customers to discard their used Steelcase furniture through a network of recyclers, resellers and charitable organizations; reducing global air emissions by 95%, global water consumption by 54% and global energy consumption by 46% over the Last five years; and dramatically reducing the generation of hazardous waste and Landfill waste. The report also sheds Light on Steelcase's environmental long-term goals, which include being 100% PVC-free and further reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and waste by an additional 25% by 2012.

Trade Groups Hop on Green Bandwagon

In recent years, more and more wood products trade associations have developed voluntary environmental policies and programs. Examples include the Composite Panel Assn's Environmentally Preferred Product program through which manufacturers of particleboard and MDF can certify their products for meeting minimum requirements for recycled content, formaldehyde emissions and other criteria; the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn.'s Furniture Emission Test Standards; and the Architectural Woodwork Institute's Forest Products Sustainability green statement.

The newest addition to this list is the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Assn.'s Environmental Stewardship Program. The ESP, approved by the KCMA Board of Directors in March, builds on the association's "Forest Beliefs Statement" adopted in 2001. It is a voluntary certification program designed to allow KCMA members "an opportunity to demonstrate that their processes and products meet key environmental criteria increasingly referenced by builders, remodelers, architects, government agencies, consumers and others."

Many of these and other industry efforts are being made to either complement or counter independent programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and the Forest Stewardship Council's forest and wood certification. Regardless of the motivation, they demonstrate the importance of being proactive on the environmental front.

What's Your Green Policy?

I visited the Web sites of more than a dozen big-name wood products manufacturers in researching this month's column. Considering their size and prominence in the industry, I was surprised that several of them did not post an environmental mission statement.

This does not necessarily mean that these companies are not doing good things for the environment. But if they are, they are clearly missing the opportunity to trumpet their commitment to the environment.

Just as it is important for companies to establish and regularly update a business plan, wood product manufacturers need to develop and regularly update environmental policies and practices. The green movement is not a fad. As the movement gains more traction in the mainstream, the only companies that will stand out are the ones that never found the gumption or the time to embrace it.