at home
Engineered flooring is often made with adhesives that contain formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen that can “off-gas” into your home and cause respiratory problems and skin irritation.
To avoid harmful off-gassing, this flooring is made with a non-formaldehyde glue. Once the adhesive has cured, it is inert (no off-gassing whatsoever). These glues are also superior in performance as they are stronger and more flexible than the urea-formaldehyde glues traditionally used in the wood flooring industry.
LEED Qualifications:
- MR-7 - Certified Wood (Strand-woven Poplar qualifies for MR 4.2 - Recycled Content (at least) 20% - instead)
- IEQ 4.4 - Low Emitting Materials - Composite Wood and Laminate Adhesives (all EcoTimber products)
in the community
Nearly all the EcoTtimber collections are made from FSC certified wood that has been grown and manufactured in the United States. The EcoVintage Pecan is sourced from other FSC certified forests and the EvoVintage Strandwoven Poplar is made of 100% FSC-recycled wood from furniture scraps. By supporting FSC certified products you are helping the communities where the wood is grown and harvested.
How FSC certification supports the community is outlined in three of the ten FSC Principles.
- Recognition and respect of indigenous peoples' rights.
- Maintenance or enhancement of long-term social and economic well-being of forest workers and local communities and respect of worker’s rights in compliance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
- Equitable use and sharing of benefits derived from the forest. Particularly in the tropics, FSC certification helps local communities manage their forests sustainably. This creates an ongoing source of income while maintaining a healthy forest that can provide timber, nuts and other foods, habitat for game animals, fresh water and shade.
on the planet
As a material, wood is inherently "green," especially in comparison to non renewable resources such as steel and concrete. The manufacturing of a non-renewable building material such as steel studs requires 25 times more water, causes 2 times the water pollution, and creates 3 times more CO2 in the atmosphere. Besides being renewable, wood is non-toxic, energy-efficient to grow and manufacture, as well as recyclable and biodegradable. Wood is the only major building material whose production yields life sustaining oxygen and absorbs the main agent of global warming, carbon dioxide.
Wood can be a truly sustainable resource, but to realize that potential it must be sourced and produced responsibly. Eco friendly wood can come from salvaged, reclaimed and recycled sources, or it can come from ecologically well managed forests and plantations.
FSC certified forestry means forests are managed for ecological health, sustainable harvest levels, and social responsibility. The ecological health includes protecting the wildlife, water, air and soil. By never cutting more than what will grow back, they ensure sustainable harvest levels.
Giving workers and communities a fair share helps create vibrant, sustainable local economies. By developing responsible forest management practices, the FSC is ensuring that existing forests will be around for future generations to come. Forest ecosystems are often destroyed to make way for tree plantations, so FSC certification is essential even with plantation-grown wood. FSC does not certify plantations that replace natural forests.
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