Sustainability

PHILOSOPHY

We work with some of the most plentiful and renewable resources available on the planet, and assuring their continued sustainability is our top priority. The materials we use are restored, harvested, quarried and crafted by conscientious professionals according to the most stringent environmental practices and ethical guidelines. Our pledge is to offer products that aren’t just beautiful, but sourced responsibly too, to best protect and preserve our planet.

CIRCULARITY

Our materials are renewable, reusable, climate-conscious, non-toxic and biodegradable—wood and stone being two of the world’s most consistently utilized resources. But our industry’s current model of resource consumption puts a significant strain on the environment, creating unsustainable levels of emissions and waste.

In America, according to the USDA Forest Service, we use between 10 and 15 billion cubic feet of wood (over 100 million tons) every year. Construction waste alone accounts for the equivalent of 27 million trees lost annually. And recent estimates from the Natural Stone Council claim that 175 million tons of quarrying waste are produced each year.

We believe this is an irresponsible squandering of Earth’s resources, and that it’s our responsibility to strive for circularity in our production and resource management practices in order to extend the life cycle of every one of our products.

ACCOUNTABILITY

As the majority of our products are sourced internationally, we make sure that our suppliers go above and beyond their national and local regulations for harvesting raw materials. We’re proud to offer both FSC and PEFC-certified options for each of our wood collections, and LEED-certified options for our stone products as well. These certification programs demonstrate a real commitment to sustainability, and help us ensure that our suppliers are doing everything they can to preserve the health of local ecosystems.

In the quarries, that means finding alternative purposes for solid waste, using biodegradable grease for machine operation, and consenting to time-sensitive work permits that, once expired, require them to backfill sites, plant new trees and even create manmade ponds to encourage natural growth in excavated areas.

In the forests, it means the prevention of pesticide and herbicide use to maintain the natural fertility of the soil, guarding against erosion and promoting the health and quality of streams and waterways, encouraging biodiversity, protecting the habitats of at-risk or endangered species, and respecting the rights of the indigenous peoples who call these forests home.

In the factories where our products are fabricated, every possible effort is made to minimize environmental impact, employ precise production methods to maximize usable product, reduce emissions, recycle waste, and conserve and filter the water used for production. Every practice and procedure is designed to ensure the ecological health of our planet and the future availability of these resources.

LONGEVITY

We offer a wide selection of reclaimed wood, stone and tile options pulled from old homes, farmhouses and building deconstructions. Though more finite than their newer counterparts, these reclaimed materials require no production efforts—just restoration and relocation—making them an excellent choice for both their unique histories and minimal environmental impact. We go to painstaking lengths to salvage these rare finds, and give them a second life in new projects.

We’ve found that traditional installation techniques limit the amount of material that can later be salvaged. Our Choose to Reuse initiative evaluated the performance and reclaimability of flooring based on installation substrate and method. Through rigorous testing, we identified the best techniques to ensure that our flooring can later be salvaged successfully with minimal damage. Assuring the longevity and reusability of our floors is just one of the ways we dedicate ourselves to minimizing waste and contributing to a more sustainable future within our industry.

COMMUNITY

These principles and practices can only be maintained by a community that’s dedicated to upholding them. Our products are entrusted to suppliers who have proven their commitment to our own ideals. Many of them are smaller-scale operations that have been family-owned for generations. With communities and economies built around this work for centuries, they provide employment for local workers, artisans and craftsmen who take great pride in what they do.

At such a massive scale, maintaining sustainability requires a vested interest from all participants, up and down the supply chain: from the suppliers tasked with obtaining raw materials respectfully and responsibly, to the consumers who select environmentally-sound and ethically-sourced products that have been crafted to stand the test of time. We will continue to do our part – in proactive and innovative ways – to minimize waste, maximize our usable product, and preserve the life and legacies of these extraordinary materials.