environmental policy

environmental stewardship | sense of responsibility

environmental stewardship

The world we have created today – as a result of our thinking thus far – has problems that cannot be solved by thinking the way we thought when we created them.

Albert Einstein

As the world changes, so must our thinking. The ecology of today's changing world gives us cause to rethink our sense of responsibility and commitment to environmental stewardship for the generations that will follow. We believe that in this century, our thinking?and our practices?must continue to move toward that which renews, preserves and sustains the world we all share.

This document offers a brief overview of Metro's environmental stewardship – commitment to continuously explore materials and manufacturing processes that improve sustainability. As new explorations reveal opportunities to enhance our everyday practices, the details within this document will be updated on our website.

The story about our commitment to environmental stewardship begins with a formidable choice made many years ago – to manufacturer furniture in the Bay Area of California, a location known throughout the United States for its stringent air quality standards. Within this environment, Metro produces furniture using water-borne finishes & adhesives, VOC-free powder-coated finishes, wood & wood substrates from sustainable resources, as well as recycled & recyclable materials. Outside of this facility, our stewardship extends through future forests™ – Metro's annual spring planting program that invests in the regeneration of hardwood forests.

We proudly share the following highlights about our future forests™ program and other environmental practices, focused on Metro's three manufacturing processes: wood, metal, and upholstery.

wood

•	Clarity™ – Metro's water-borne finish for wood – sets a new standard by reducing VOC emissions to less than 1/5 of that allowed by San Francisco Bay Area requirements
•	Future Forests™ – Metro's planting of cherry, maple, and walnut trees to renew our natural resources for future generations: a sponsorship program created with The Hardwood Forestry Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting hardwood timber growth, management, education and environmentally sound uses of renewable resources
•	sole use of cherry, maple and walnut veneers & hardwoods selected from sustainable forest resources sustainable forest resources refer to responsible methods of harvesting timber that sustain our forests to thrive and grow.
•	cherry hardwood and wood substrates are inspected & certified by Scientific Certification Systems in accordance with standards set by the Forestry Stewardship Council forest certification is the process of inspecting particular forests or woodland to determine if they are being managed according to an agreed set of standards. Forest certification systems and sustainability initiatives share the common goal of assuring the public that participating companies are committed to good forest stewardship. For further information about forest certification, please visit: Scientific Certification Systems Forestry Stewardship Council
•	furniture testing to ensure emissions of formaldehyde are well below safe levels before products are shipped
•	extensive ventilation & dust collection systems throughout our manufacturing facility capture and abate wood dust
•	wood dust, and untreated wood such as shipping pallets, hardwood & veneer panels are separated and recycled at an off-site facility where they become reusable for mulch and wood substrates

metal

•	metal components are finished with Metro's automated powder coat finishing system; a VOC-free coating that protects clean air by eliminating emissions of ozone-depleting chemical substances
•	100% of all ferrous and non-ferrous (aluminum) post production scrap metal is separated and recycled in an off-site recycling program
•	no chrome plated components are manufactured for our products

upholstery

•	water-borne adhesives eliminate emissions of ozone-depleting chemical substances
•	foam rubber scrap is returned to our supplier where it is recycled to produce carpet pads
•	fabric and leather scrap is separated and reused by local small businesses
•	high resilient (HR) upholstery foam is 100% free of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE's) – known to cause environmental health concerns in landfills

packaging

•	shipping boxes are composed of post consumer, recycled cardboard and specifically designed to minimize protective packing materials inside – significantly reducing materials and making it easy to recycle them once again

printing

•	significantly reducing the quantity of printed price lists each year by providing PDF versions on line
•	binders, brochures, and single sheets are printed on a variety of post consumer, recycled papers
•	printing inks are vegetable-based and non-toxic
•	assembly glues, when used, are water-based and non-toxic

energy & waste management

•	computer-controlled heating & cooling systems, along with their running time, significantly reduce energy consumption during hours of operation
•	a palette recycling program diverts approximately 2,500 cubic yards of pallet material from landfills each year
•	computer-controlled, low-energy lighting systems decrease power requirements and comply with California Title 24 standards for energy efficient lighting
•	office equipment and non-essential lighting are turned off in all areas when not in use; a meaningful practice as members of a greater community located in energy conscious California

suppliers

•	surveying suppliers to ensure that they do not use ozone-depleting chemical substances in their production of raw materials and furniture accessories used by Metro