Haworth recently announced an ambitious goal to source 100 percent of the wood used in the company’s casegoods, systems, tables and storage products from sustainably managed forests and suppliers by the end of 2015. According to Haworth, by the end of 2013, 86 percent of the wood used by the company came from controlled, sustainable forests.
“As we continue our sustainability journey, we are committed to reducing the impact our manufacture and design process has on the environment,” says Steve Kooy, Haworth’s global sustainability manager. “One example of this is ensuring that all of our wood is sourced from sustainably managed forests.”
To achieve this goal, Haworth plans on improving its selection of FSC and PEFC-certified products by removing product exceptions and increasing surface options. The manufacturer will also rely on third-party certifications from nonprofit organizations like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and encourage its suppliers to expand their sustainable wood offerings.
For example, Tafisa, based in Lac-Mégantic, Québec, is Haworth’s largest supplier of particleboard. In its manufacturing process, Tafisa, consumes 50 percent post-industrial wood fiber residues from local sawmills and 50 percent post-consumer recycled wood fiber from its re-wood program, which reprocesses solid wood from demolition, renovation and construction sites in major urban centers in the United States.
“As a manufacturer of end-user products, it’s critical that we work with our suppliers,” says Kooy. “They provide us with a quality check—helping us trace our supply chain back to the forest level.”
