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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
As the drive toward green homebuilding accelerates, manufacturers are developing their own codes of environmental conduct, some more ambitious than others. For builders and consumers, a cabinetmaker’s commitment to the fundamental values of the green movement is sometimes tough to measure.
Several certification programs — such as LEED for Homes, the NAHB’s National Green Building Program, and KCMA’s Environmental Stewardship Program — offer transparent scoring systems for homebuilding products or techniques. However, one of the key differentiators among cabinet manufacturers’ environmental programs — materials sourcing — isn’t as tangible. The reason? Sourcing is multi-pronged.
In cabinetry, sourcing encompasses not only the type of raw materials manufacturers use in assembling finished cabinets but also the methods of collecting and transporting the materials and the programs established to ensure the materials remain sustainable resources.
For instance, some cabinet manufacturers import a significant amount of their cabinetry and components from overseas. From an environmental standpoint, this transportation model typically increases fuel consumption and adds to potentially harmful emissions. Other issues with remote sourcing include the environmental policies of the supplier country: Does the government have strong reforestation policies? Have there been instances of unregulated logging? Do the international facilities follow standard recycling practices? Are the overseas plants energy efficient?
Obviously, a U.S. company’s carbon footprint can grow quickly when partnering with global suppliers. What’s more, many industry experts point to the lack of insight into a supply chain that stretches across oceans. International sourcing ultimately can hinder a U.S. firm’s ability to certify products and practices.
In the U.S., sourcing is more straightforward. The Appalachian Mountains, for instance, provide several cabinet manufacturers, including Timberlake, with hardwood lumber resources from sustainable forests. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Inventory and Analysis, “annual timber harvest levels in the 344-county Appalachian Hardwood Region have been substantially less than net annual growth for more than 50 years.” The Appalachian hardwood region covers more than 65.4 million acres across 12 states in the eastern U.S.
HOW TIMBERLAKE MEASURES UP
One hundred percent of Timberlake’s dimensioned hardwood comes from sustainable forests in the U.S., primarily from the Appalachian Mountains. According to Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc. (AHMI), for each tree harvested in the Appalachian Mountains, 2.29 trees are growing.
Under Timberlake’s domestic manufacturing platform, the majority of the U.S. population lives within 500 miles of a Timberlake assembly plant. This proximity reduces Timberlake’s carbon footprint by requiring less fuel for transportation and lowering concentrations of emissions in the distribution cycle.
Likewise, local service operations allow Timberlake to streamline service calls.
Supply chain management at Timberlake includes such environmentally sound practices as using regional vendors, consolidating shipping logistics, and scheduling minimal trips for installs.
Timberlake works with all of its suppliers to encourage sustainable forestry practices.
American Woodmark, the parent company of Timberlake, has implemented a Corporate Environmentally Responsible Stewardship program that proactively identifies potential environmental risks and monitors compliance with appropriate federal, state, local, and internal standards.
Timberlake believes in “doing the right thing” and helping others to do the same. Statistics prove that many builders want to offer green products and many homeowners want to live in green homes if they’re affordable. In response, Timberlake has developed a product and pricing model that provides a green product at an exceptional value.
[ View a printable Timberlake Environmental Responsibility PDF ]
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