Wood Facts
- What You Should Know About Formaldehyde:
- Manufacturers have reduced formaldehyde emissions from pressed wood products by 80-90% from the levels of the early 1980s.
- People, animals and plants produce low levels of formaldehyde during normal metabolic processes.
Common Wood Myths
- Myth: Animals, plants and insects are becoming extinct because of forestry.
- Fact: No species has become extinct in North America due to forestry. In some landscapes, forest management results in a wider range of age classes and ecosystem types that would normally occur in the absence of human activity.
- Myth: Forestry is causing forests to disappear.
- Fact: Hardwood volume increases by 5.27 billion cubic feet annually-even after harvest mortality. Forests are just as renewable from logging as they are from any other disturbance. Many types of forest ecosystems function most successfully when they are periodically cleared and allowed to regrow anew, much like your garden needs to be harvested before new produce can grow.
- Myth: We should protect our environment by using less wood. Cut fewer trees, use less wood.
- Fact: This is an anti-envirnomental policy. Trees are among the most renewable natural resources on our planet. That is demonstrated by the net gain in U.S. hardwood volume even after forestry and mortality. Alternatively, utilizing synthetic materials such as metals, plastics and others which require significant resources in mining, energy, petroleum and other chemicals, in processes which creates many sources of pollutants, is truly the anti-environmental policy.
Wood is Good
- Trees are natural air filters.
- Trees are living plants that 'breathe' to help them grow. As they breathe, they remove unwanted carbon dioxide from the air- a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming- and replace it with sustaining oxygen.
- To grow a pound of wood, a young tree breathes in 1.47 pounds of carbon dioxide, and breathes out 1.07 pounds of oxygen. The carbon is stored within the cells of the tree.
- When a forest becomes old or overcrowded, trees stop growing and begin to decay. This releases the carbon. But, when mature trees are harvested for wood products, the carbon stays locked inside the wood. Replanting with young trees begins the air cleansing process again.
- An average person needs 365 pounds of oxygen to breathe each year. We don't know exactly how many growing trees are needed to counter the effects of car emissions and other sources of pollution in our air.
- What we do know is that responsible harvesting of our forests locks in the carbon and ensures a continiual supply of growing, oxygen producing trees-and that helps the Earth provide clean air.
The Grass is greener
- 490 million acres are called timberlands, forests that can produce more than 20 cubic feet of wood per acre annually. They're growing more trees today than they were 50 years ago.
- There is enough forestland in the U.S. to cover every square inch in every state east of the Great Plains.
- Hardwood volume increases by 5.27 billion cubic feet anually-even after harvests and mortality
- Annually, over 1.5 billion trees are planted in the U.S.- more than 5 trees for every man, woman and child in America. That averages 4.1 million seedlings each day.
- Nearly twice as much hardwood grows each year as is harvested in the U.S. As a result, the volume of hardwoods alone in American forests today is 90% larger than it was 50 years ago.
Wood vs. Other Building Materials
- Trees are among the most renewable natural resource on our planet. That is demonstrated by the net gain in U.S. hardwood volume even after forestry and mortality. Alternatively, utilizing synthetic materials such as metals, plastics and others which requires significant resources in mining, in energy, petroleum, and other chemicals, in processes which creates many sources of pollutants is truly the anti-environmental policy. Non-renewable building materials such as steel, cement and plastic must be produced in real factories such as steel mills, cement works and oil refineries. This usually requires large inputs of fossil fuels inevitably resulting in high carbon dioxide emissions. So, for 70 percent of the wood used each year for energy and building, switching to substitutes nearly always results in increased carbon dioxide emissions, contrary to climate change policy. Therefore, the policy of "use less wood" is anti-environmental because it would result in increased carbon dioxide emissions.
- How do we replace thousands of tons of ore that went into steel beams or aluminum siding, or the millions of liters of petroleum that went into making plastic components? The answer is-we can't. Those resources are finite. Once we consume them, other than the energy intensive collection, separation and recycling processes, they are gone forever.
- a study by the Canadian Research Alliance examined the relative environmental impacts of various building materials. The results clearly demonstrate not only that wood is a renewable resource, but also that the manufacture of wood products is cleaner, less wasteful, and consumes less energy than the alternatives.
- Life-cycle analysis shows that a steel wall requires 3 to 6 times more energy to extract, manufacture and construct than a wood wall. The steel wall also uses 25 times more water in its manufacture, and releases 3 to 6 times more carbon dioxide emissions.
- The manufacture of concrete produces 2 to 3 times more carbon dioxide than wood, and results in 5 times more solid waste.
- The production of aluminum generates 8 times more polluting emissions in the air and 300 times more in the water, than the manufacture of wood. The manufacture of aluminum siding requires 5 times more energy than wood.
Wellborn the Company
- As Wellborn continuously strives to advance our manufacturing and technology processes to meet the needs of our customers in an environmentally friendly manner, we have formed the following commitments to guide us:
- Continuous reduction of waste and emissions.
- Conserve energy and natural resources through the recycling of waste products and eliminating the need for disposal to landfills.
- Improve packaging products to eliminate waste.
- Develop local land holdings to support a variety of wildlife.
- Participate in industry and state initiatives to support environmental stewardship programs
- Invest in the best available technology to ensure VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and HAP (Hazardous Air Pollutants) emissions are maintained below state environmental limits.
- Develop vendor programs that allow us to work with suppliers that strive towards the same goals we have set.
What is Wellborn Doing for the Environment? - Our Operation
- In 2007, Wellborn recycled:
343,200 pounds of cardboard
44,160 pounds of paper (vinyl)
25,260 gallons of solvents
187,000 lbs. of metals
- In 1993, Wellborn installed a Three Boiler Co-Generator plant which consumes 95% of manufactured wood waste as fuel to generate 20% of the plant electricity requirements along with all plant process steam requirements.
- In 2007, Wellborn used approximately 40,000 tons of its own wood dust to generate 3.1 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity for the facility; thus eliminating the need to landfill dust.
- In 2007, Wellborn saved 300,773 MCF (thousand cubic feet) of natural gas, a non-renewable resource, by producing its own steam. Producing steam eliminates the need to consume natural gas for heating ovens in our paint operations or to heat our dry kilns.
- Since 1995, Wellborn has reduced boiler air emissions 50% lower than required by state and EPA regulations through the installation of "Best Available Control Technology."
- Diesel emissions in our truck fleet have been reduced by the application of two new techniques. The newest tractors feature an Auxiliary Power Unit or APU. This feature eliminates unnecessary truck idling and, most importantly, lowers fuel usage and emissions. All new tractors are specked with these units. Secondly, drivers that do not have an APU will take advantage of IDLEAIRE, a great technology located at truck stops throughout the U.S. Drivers are encouraged to plan their stops at these locations where they can shut off their engines and hook up to a unit that provides heat, air and even T.V. and internet. By doing so, drivers are decreasing their impact on the environment.
Our Vendor Certification Processes
- WellCheck Vendor Program-Wellborn's vendor certification program allows us to measure the performance of current suppliers and evaluate potential suppliers, including their commitment to becoming green-friendly and healthy forest stewardship practices.
- Wellborn has been assured by all manufacturers of our component parts that all parts used by Wellborn comply with all formaldehyde standards set by OSHA
- In addition, we have had our finished cabinets tested independently which confirmed that our finished products are in compliance with the formaldehyde emission statements.
- All of our purchased MDF and particleboard panels are certified by the CPA, Composite Panel Association, which coordinates third-party certification programs through its internationally recognized Grademark Certfication Program, the most rigorous of its kind in North America.
- Wellborn is committed to continuously improving our packaging process to eliminate waste. Our packaging materials are constructed of 75% recycled fibers.
KCMA ESP Certification
- Wellborn is proud to be certified by KCMA's Environmental Stewardship Program. After 36 years of developing industry performance standards, the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association has included environmental sustainability to its program. Those companies actively participating in environmental stewardship has an opportunity to become certified through KCMA's Environmental Stewardship Program. Designed to encourage industry policies and practices that benefit both the environment and the well being of society, the Environmental Stewardship Program provides companies with tangible ways to support sustainability in these areas:
- Air Quality
- Product Resource Management
- Process Resource Management
- Environmental Stewardship
- Community Relations
- In the certification, companies will respond with supporting documentation answers pertaining to their environmental sustainability program. Upon completion of the certifications, companies who qualify will be awarded the ESP seal to display on their products. Their ESP seal lets consumers, builders, architects, and others know they are supporting sustainability why they or specify ESP certified products. Below are samples of qualifying criteria and Wellborn's response:
- Air Quality: 75% of finished products are finished domestically and finishes used emit no greater HAPS than allowed by local plant operating permits.
- Wellborn's Response:"..100% of finished products are finished domestically and finishes used emit no greater HAPS than allowed by state operating permits.
- Product Resource Management: Training plan to educate hardwood suppliers annually about certified lumber.
- Wellborn's Response:During annual appreciation of gathering of all its lumber suppliers, Wellborn educates the suppliers of the benefits and purchasing preference of certified lumber.
- Process Resource Management: Manufacturer uses internal or external process by-products to generate alternate energy services, e.g. electricity, steam or other.
- Wellborn's Response:"Wellborn Cabinet, Inc. used process by-products to generate 3.1 million kwhrs. of clean electricity for the facility...and generated 300,773 MCF of steam in 2007...which saves natural resources and also eliminates the need to landfill wood dust and shavings."
- Environmental Stewardship: Review environmental practices and policies of key vendors and contractors.
- Wellborn's Response: Wellborn provided a list of its key vendors and dates when reviews were conducted.
- Community Relations: Demonstrate community involvement and leadership through service or charitable organizations.
- Wellborn's Response: Wellborn has made charitable donations to more than 50 national and local organizations such as the American Cancer Society and The Boys and Girls Ranch.
Wellborn Environmental Belief Statement
- It is Wellborn Cabinet, Inc.'s corporate-wide goal to fully incorporate leading environmental practices, policies and standards throughout our enterprise - from our suppliers through final delivery to our customers. Our environmental responsibility has extended to include selecting, educating and embracing suppliers based on their commitment to similar environmental practices including sustainable or recycled raw materials as well as low emission products where applicable.
- Wellborn endorses the industry-wide efforts and commitment of the KCMA organization and their development of their Environmental Stewardship certification program (ESP). The ESP program provides the only standards for manufacturers in the Kitchen & Bath cabinet industry that truly defines and measures the holistic environmental performance of a manufacturing enterprise - not just its end products.
- The ESP program establishes a standard, measurable benchmark for environmental performance. This certification validates our performance to adhere to high standards for air quality, product resource management, process resource management, environmental stewardship and community relations. Wellborn, along with our affiliate operations, is fully certified under this program. In looking to the future, Wellborn has committed to recertify annually as the program adopts new industry standards and practices.
- In addition to the ESP program, Wellborn will continually search for new technologies and processes to improve our high standards of environmental conformance for our products and operations. We will also continue to partner with our suppliers and industry associates in a joint effort to embrace the changes necessary to ensure that we all have a more healthy environmental future for generations of our children and grandchildren.
- Wellborn's demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship offers our consumers the assurance that the cabinets they buy are the Green Choice for generations of family and the environment.
For Further Information, Please contact jwatts@wellborn.com
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