When considering wood for flooring, the diversity of species, finishes, types (hardwood, engineered?) - can make it overwhelming to choose the right option.  Due to the inherent renewability of wood products, companies can easily claim “better for the planet” and “sustainability” as a greenwashing practice, potentially misleading consumers from their true environmental impact.

Sourcing with sustainability in mind, we continually select wood vendors under the umbrella of quality, indoor air quality, and transparency of sourcing process. In order to curate a list of products, we cut through the ambiguity of claims - recommending only verified products by tried and true third party certifications.

Third-party certifications we look for are:

• FSC®certified
• Product comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social,a dn economic benefits
• PEFC label
• PEFC-certified forests is managed in line with strict environmental, social and economic requirements. A Certification is trackable to the supply chain and ensuring the rights of workers in the production process
• Cradle to Cradle
• Physical products that are made in consideration of environmental and social sustainability, designed for a circular economy
• FloorScore®
• Recognized Indoor Air Quality certification standard for hard surface flooring materials, adhesives, and underlayments
• Greenguard Gold Certification
• Established to meet indoor air quality needs of sensitive environments, tested to emit lower amounts of VOCs
• Red List Free (Living Building Challenge Standard)
• Does not contain any materials, chemicals, and elements that would pose risks to human health and the environment (specifically with wood flooring - added UREA Formaldehyde)
• ISO 9001
• Quality benchmark for a company’s management principles - ensuring customers receive good-quality products and services.
• SFI Chain-of-Custody Standard
• Accounting system that tracks forest-based products through production and manufacturing to the end product

Besides certification tags, we also consider:

• Recycled/Reclaimed Wood Content
• Amount of recycled or reclaimed wood used in the product
• Click-Lock Products
• Installation without adhesives or nailing