Back to Knoll Environment The Knoll 8 1. Protection of the Biosphere 2. Sustainable Use of Natural Resources 3. Waste Reduction and Disposal 4. Conservation 5. Risk Reduction 6. Safe Products and Services 7. Environmental Restoration 8. Informing the Public Downloads Products Our Journey 2. Sustainable Use of Natural Resources We strive to make the best use of renewable resources, such as water, soil and forests, and conserve non-renewable natural resources. We will make sustainable use of renewable natural resources through efficient use and careful planning. •  In 2009, KnollTextiles offered a wide range of fabrics made with natural fibers (e.g., linen, cotton, wool) from rapidly renewable sources. •  Composite board used in manuracturing Knoll products contained 97% recovered or recycled postindustrial material. We will continue to seek opportunities to use sustainable forests in our products. •  In 2009, Knoll advanced the implementation of its Sustainable Wood Policy by establishing FSC Certified Wood as standard without asking, at no surcharge and at standard lead times on office systems, casegoods and tables with the exception of certain products from the KnollStudio Collection. The new standard encompasses 95% of wood-containing products manufactured at Knoll facilities. •  Knoll continued to partner with The Rainforest Alliance to certify sustainable forestry compliance under its SMARTWOOD program, and wood provenance under FSC Chain of Custody protocols. We will minimize the use of wooden pallets. •  Knoll continued to repair, reuse and recycle pallets at all facilities. In 2009, 29.60 tons of wood pallets were recycled. We will attempt to recycle or make beneficial use of wood scrap generated in our manufacturing operations. •  Knoll facilities recycled 4,279.52 tons of wood scrap and 3,236.1 tons of sawdust in 2009. •  In 2009 East Greenville sent 100% of its wood scrap to a waste-to-energy facility, diverting it from landfill and increasing wood recycled and/or waste to energy from 27% to 87%. •  The wood scrap waste-to-energy program at the Grand Rapids facility kept 1,687 tons of wood waste out of landfill. •  The Toronto facility continued to burn wood scrap as heating fuel in the winter and use excess heating capacity to provide hot water for finishing processes in the warmer months. Burning wood scrap in place of natural gas reduced total gas consumption by 25,382.52 cubic feet in 2009. We will continue to recycle steel, aluminum and other metal components. •  In 2009, Knoll facilities recycled 3,723.09 tons of steel and 122.63 tons of aluminum. We will continue to seek recycling opportunities for scrap generated in our manufacturing operations. •  In 2009, Knoll facilities recycled a total of more than 640.19 tons of corrugated cardboard, 78.81 tons of paper, 135.02 tons of textiles, and 12,289.98 gallons of waste oil. We will continue to utilize post-consumer and post-industrial materials in our products where practical. •  In 2009, the majority of the wood used to make composite board products at the Knoll Toronto, East Greenville and Grand Rapids facilities contained an average of 97% recovered or recycled postindustrial material. •  KnollTextiles fabrics include products made of 100% post-consumer recycled content. 4 In 2009, more than 80 KnollTextiles fabrics carried a “Green Bar” on their label, indicating 49%+ recycled content or 75%+ natural fiber. We will be environmentally responsible in our purchase of materials. •  The Knoll FSC Certified Wood Standard and Sustainable Wood Policy certified through The Rainforest Alliance ensured that wood materials used in our products in 2009 came from environmentally responsible sources. •  In 2009, all Knoll leather goods were obtained as by-products of the meat packing industry. No hides or skins from endangered species were used. Home > Environment > The Knoll 8