Bainbridge Island, WA, December 3, 2009--Teragren today announced that select bamboo flooring, panels and veneer now qualify for FSC-Pure certification through the Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org) (FSC), the international organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
“Teragren has been aligned with the FSC’s sustainable forestry principles since founding our company in 1994,” said Teragren President and CEO, David Knight. “We’re thrilled that our long-standing commitment to environmental, social and economic responsibility is now being recognized through this worthy designation.”
FSC-Pure Products
Teragren’s FSC-Pure products (Certification # SCS-COC-002912) are available immediately through special order, and include popular products featured within the company’s lines of beautiful, durable and renewable Traditional Bamboo Flooring, Panels & Veneer. These include:
· Teragren’s Traditional Bamboo Flooring (Signature Naturals, Signature Colors, Craftsman II & Studio)
· Teragren’s Unfinished Bamboo Flooring
· Teragren’s Bamboo Panels and Bamboo Veneer (excluding Teragren’s 2-ply Veneer with paper fleece backing (1.2mm), Edge Banding Backing (.6mm) & 1/42” Bamboo Veneer (.6mm)); and
· Teragren’s matching Bamboo Stair Parts and Bamboo Flooring Accessories
The FSC-Pure designation means that certified products have been harvested in an FSC-certified forest, manufactured with 100 percent FSC-certified material and are distributed and sold through an FSC Chain of Custody (COC)-certified distribution channel.
Teragren’s FSC Pure certified bamboo products are also eligible for additional credits through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program designed to encourage the global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. The credits include:
· LEED MR Credit 7 for Certified Wood (NEW)
· LEED MR Credit 6 for Rapidly Renewable Materials
· LEED IEQ Credit 4.3 for Low-Emitting Materials - Flooring Systems; and
· LEED 4.4 Low-Emitting Materials - Composite Wood and Agrifiber Products.
FSC-Certifying All Forests in Anji County
While the FSC has been furthering standards for conserving natural forests for many years, the organization has only recently begun recognizing bamboo. As part of Teragren’s efforts to secure the FSC-Pure designation for its bamboo flooring, panels and veneer—coupled with its overall mission to be environmentally, socially and economically responsible—Teragren and its factory partner, Zhejiang Xinyuan Bamboo Products Co. Ltd., have been working closely with Anji County government officials to FSC-certify all of the bamboo forests in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, also known as the “bamboo sea.”
“The Zhejiang Anji Bamboo Association and the Anji County Department of Forestry are committed to ensuring that all bamboo forests in Anji County are FSC-certified by early 2010,” said Wu Zhengji, the chairman of Zhejiang Anji Bamboo Association. “Through their roles as bamboo industry pioneers, Teragren and its factory partner, Xinyuan, have been instrumental in setting this endeavor in motion.”
Teragren Also Receives SCS FloorScore® Certification for All Bamboo Flooring Lines
In keeping with Teragren’s commitment to pioneering environmental standards within the bamboo industry, all of Teragren’s bamboo flooring lines now qualify for FloorScore® certification through Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global leader in independent certification of environmental and sustainability claims. The company announced that select bamboo flooring lines qualified for the certification in July 2009.
FloorScore® sets the toughest limits in North America for safe indoor air emissions, guaranteeing that certified products contribute to a healthier and safer indoor environment. Teragren is the world’s first and only company to offer FloorScore®-certified bamboo flooring.
Indoor air quality is an important issue because most people spend as much as 90 percent of their time at home, work or school. FloorScore® measures more than 78 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from building materials.
Commitment to Sustainable Harvesting, Eco-Friendly Manufacturing
Since pioneering the bamboo flooring industry in 1994, Teragren’s traditional and strand bamboo flooring, panels and veneer have grown in popularity as they reduce dependence upon dwindling timber resources.
Teragren’s Optimum 5.5® Moso bamboo is grown in managed agricultural plots by independent farmers in China, and harvested sustainably between 5.5 to 6 years, leaving behind a thriving plant and new shoots, unlike hardwood trees which take more than 60 years to mature. Teragren supports farmers and their families by paying fair market value for raw materials and by encouraging proper stewardship of this valuable resource.
In keeping with Teragren’s environmental and social mission, Teragren’s manufacturing facilities generate energy from the bi-product of bamboo sawdust created during the manufacturing process. This material fuels the boilers that generate steam, powering multiple drying kilns, 90’ conveyor ovens, high capacity hot presses, caramelizing tanks, and is used to heat facility buildings. The smoke generated from the boiler is filtered with a water “scrubber” to keep most particulates from entering the atmosphere.
As a manufacturer, Teragren can guarantee the quality of its products, unlike those coming from alternate sources such as discounters, importers or trading houses in China. The company also uses materials that meet stringent Japanese, European and U.S. environmental standards. Its bamboo production is controlled from harvest to final product.
A core component of Teragren’s mission is to measure, mitigate and ultimately become carbon negative. Currently, Teragren’s Washington state headquarters is carbon neutral, and carbon measurement is also underway at the company’s factories in China and throughout their product transportation system.
