SFC glossary terms

A colorless, odorless and highly toxic gas commonly created during combustion. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu. These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.

Renovation of a building or site to include elements that allow a particular use or uses to occupy a space that originally was intended for a different use.

Contaminants or substances in the air that interfere with human health or produce other harmful environmental effects.

Usually environmentally friendly, this is energy form uncommon sources such as wind power or solar energy, not fossil fuels.

Not petrol or diesel but different transportation fuels like natural gas, methanol, bio fuels and electricity.

Recommended by EPA at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/formald2.html. CPA 1-02 requires the formaldehyde limits applying only to raw particle Board and raw medium density fiberboard (MDF) before assembled into finished product of: 0.30 ppm for industrial products, 0.20 ppm for building products, 0.30 ppm for Medium Density Fiberboard MDF.

An agent that kills microbes.

founded in 1894, is an international organization of 51,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

Process by which a building is heated in an attempt to accelerate VOC emissions from furniture and materials.

A document establishing the terms of contract between a shipper and a transportation company to move freight from one point to another for a specific charge. The shipper often prepares the bill of lading on forms issued by the carrier (GFTN, 2005).

Waste material composed primarily of constituent parts that occur naturally, are able to be decomposed by bacteria or fungi, and are absorbed into the ecosystem. Wood, for example, is biodegradable, while plastics are not.

Also, biological diversity. The variety of living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, as well as the ecological complexes of which they are part. This includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (CBD, 2007B).

Plant matter such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops or other biological material. It can provide a renewable source of electrical power, fuel, or chemical feedstocks.

The exterior surface of a building's construction - the walls, windows, roof and floor. Also referred to as "building shell."

Software program developed by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). It is aimed at designers, builders, and product manufacturers. It provides a way to balance the environmental and economic performance of building products. BEES measures the environmental performance of building products by using an environmental life-cycle assessment approach specified int he latest versions of ISO 14000 draft standards. All stages in the life of a product line are analyzed: raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation, installation, use, and recycling and waste management.

Material, other than the principal product, generated as a consequence of an industrial process or as a breakdown product in a living system.

Standard Practice for the Testing of Volatile Organic Emissions from Various Sources Using Small-Scale Environmental Chambers.

This level is determined so not to penalize wood as a product and takes into account documented approximate 30 ppb natural background levels of formaldehyde in wood by the Australasia Plywood Association http://www.plywoodassn.com.au/pdf/form%202.pdf, and provides a 3 ppb margin of safety. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2004 reclassified formaldehyde from a probable to a known carcinogen.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) created a new regulation called California's Formaldehyde Air Toxic Control Measure. Staring January 1, 2009, California will begin regulating the formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products (particleboard, MDF, and hardwood plywood) sold in the state or used to make finished goods offered for sale in the state. All products containing composite wood products must comply with the new regulation. To find CARB-complaint mills, visit: http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/tpc/listofmills.htm

Your carbon footprint is the direct effect your (or your company's) actions and practices have on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. Probably the biggest contributors to the furniture industry's footprint are transportation, and electricity demands in manufacturing and retail establishments.

A company, person or action either not producing any carbon emissions or if it does have been offset elsewhere.

The different processes through which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored in soil, biomass, geological formations and oceans.

Carbon dioxide is naturally absorbed by things such as oceans, forests and peat bogs. These are called carbon sinks.

A charge on fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) based on their carbon content. When burned, the carbon in these fuels becomes carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a significant greenhouse gas.

Any substance capable of causing cancer.

A joint industry-government effort to increase the amount of recycling and reuse of post-consumer carpet and reduce the amount of waste carpet going to landfills. CARE was established as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding for Carpet Stewardship (MOU), a national agreement signed by members of the carpet industry, representatives of government agencies at the federal, state and local levels, and non-governmental organizations.

The mission of CARE is to facilitate the carpet industry lead initiative to find market driven solutions to the diversion of post-consumer carpet from landfills to meet the time sensitive goals of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Carpet Stewardship.

Fluorescent lamps are more efficient than incandescent light bulbs of an equivalent brightness. This is because more of the energy input is converted to usable light and less is converted to heat (allowing fluorescent lamps to run cooler).

The systematic tracking of wood-based products from their origin in the forest to their end-use.

Stable, artificially created chemical compounds containing carbon, chlorine, fluorine and sometimes hydrogen. Chlorofluorocarbons, used primarily to facilitate cooling in refrigerators and air conditioners, have been found to deplete the stratospheric ozone layer which protects the earth and tis inhabitants from excessive ultraviolet radiation.

A timber harvesting method that involves the removal of standing trees in a given area (ACF, 2006).

When a used product is recycled into a similar product; a recycling system in which a particular mass of material (possibly after upgrading) is remanufactured into the same product (e.g., glass bottles into glass bottles).

A naturally occurring greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. It is emitted naturally through the carbon cycle and through human activities like the burning of fossil fuels.

Natural sources of CO2 occur within the carbon cycle where billions of tons of atmospheric CO2 are removed from the atmosphere by oceans and growing plants, also known as ‘sinks,’ and are emitted back into the atmosphere annually through natural processes also known as ‘sources.’ When in balance, the total carbon dioxide emissions and removals from the entire carbon cycle are roughly equal.

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 1700’s, human activities, such as the burning of oil, coal and gas, and deforestation, have increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. In 2005, global atmospheric concentrations of CO2 were 35% higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution. For more information on CO2 trends in the atmosphere, visit the page on Atmosphere Changes.

A process whereby organic wastes, including food and paper, decompose naturally, resulting in a produce rich in minerals and ideal for gardening and Farming as a soil conditioner, mulch, resurfacing material, or landfill cover.

Preserving and renewing, when possible, human and natural resources. The use, protection and improvement of natural resources according to principles that will ensure their highest economic or social benefits.

Any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter that has an adverse effect on air, water or soil.

Cradle to Cradle a book written by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. It is a manifesto calling for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design.

Intensive product certification for environmentally-intelligent design that serves as a nutrient for the earth or a technological nutrient at the end of the product life program. It evaluates and certifies the quality of products based on Cradle to Cradle™ Design principles by measuring their positive effects upon the environment, human health and social equity.

Chronic Exposure Level- established by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

Does not contain DEA (diethanolamine), a substance linked to cancer in animal studies.

Math function that reflects the declining emissions of a product over time.

Process whereby consumers use purchasing decisions to communicate to product manufacturers that they prefer environmentally sound products packaged with the least amount of waste, made from recycled or recyclable materials, and containing no hazardous substances.

The metric that allows us to calculate human pressure on the planet and come up with facts, such as: If everyone lived the lifestyle of the average American we would need five planets.

The healthy functioning of biological organisms within the
ecosystem they inhabit.

The release of gases, liquids and/or solids from any process or industry. Liquid emissions are commonly referred to as effluents.

A limit placed on companies regarding the amount of greenhouse gases it can emit.

Species that live exclusively in certain areas and do not exist anywhere else (IUCN, 2006).

Also known as composite woods, engineered woods are manufactured by binding wood particles or fibers with adhesives to meet specific design requirements. Uses of engineered woods are often similar to those of solid wood (Composite Panel Assocaition, 2007). Engineered wood products include plywood, oriented strand board and fiberboard.

For an industrial setting, this is a company's environmental impact determined by the amount of depletable raw materials and nonrenewable resources it consumes to make its products, and the quantity of wastes and emissions that are generated in the process. Traditionally, for a company to grow, the footprint had to get larger. Today, finding ways to reduce the environmental footprint is a priority or leading companies.

The part of the overall management system that
includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices,
procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing
and maintaining the environmental policy.

A set of processes and practices that enables an organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase operational efficiency (EPA, 2007).

Is a statement by the organization of its intentions and
principles in relation to its overall environmental performance, which provides a
framework for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives and targets.

An independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment.

A species that exists in the free state in an area but is not native to that area. (IUCN, 2007A).

An engineered wood made of wood fibers or particles bonded together with wax and adhesives. Fiberboards include particle board, medium-density fiberboard, high-density fiberboard and hardboard depending on the density of the particles.

A species that can be used to anchor a conversation campaign because it arouses public interest and sympathy (Simberloff, 1998).

Generally speaking, a forest concession is a contract between a forest owner and another party allowing the management and harvesting of wood resources from a given area (Gray, 2002).

When natural forests are converted to highly cultivated forests typically with an increased focus on wood production, and decreased enviornmental benefits.

Also called Deforestation - where forests are being converted from natural forests to other land uses (agriculture, cattle ranching, urbanization, etc). Such land-use change may or may not be legal and can result in forested ares that do not have the prospect of being sustainably managed.

ILO's Convention 186 (ILO, 1998), defines FPIC as the right of communities "to exercise control, to the extent possible, over their own economic, social and cultural development." The principles FPIC are evolving through international debate to help define and require appropriate consultation and consent. A full discussion can be found in Herz et al., 2007.

(Forest Stewardship Council) An international organization promoting responsible stewardship of the world’s forests through certificates for forest management and chain of custody administered by third party auditors.

A technology that uses an electrochemical process to convert energy into electrical power. Often powered by natural gas, fuel cell power is cleaner than grid-connected power sources. In addition, hot water is produced as a by-product.

An organism that, through human intervention in a laboratory, has had it genetic code deliberately altered. Genetic modification may be used to alter any of a wide range of traits (Alberta Forest Genetic Resources Council, 2007)

Heat that comes from the earth.

An increase in the average temperature of the earth, attributed to the burning of fossil fuels.

Global Organic Textile Standard-The aim of the standard is to define requirements to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.

A design, usually architectural, conforming to environmentally sound principles of building, material and energy use. A green building, for example, might make use of solar panels, skylights, and recycled building materials.

An independent renewable energy certification and verification program allowing consumers to quickly identify environmentally superior energy options, also used by businesses to communicate the purchase and/or generation of certified renewable energy.

(GREENGUARD Environmental Institute) Improving public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. In accordance with that mission, GEI currently has three third-party certification programs.

Emissions of gases related to human activities that
accelerate the “greenhouse effect.” The term "greenhouse effect" describes the natural
heat-trapping qualities of trace gases in the Earth's atmosphere. Human activities have
significantly increased the concentrations of natural greenhouse gases such as carbon
dioxide. While carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas, it is the main contributor to
warming. Other important greenhouse gases include nitrous oxide and methane, both of
which have increased in the last century.

The act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

waste water that does not contain sewage (such as from the shower) and can be reused for irrigation after filtration.

Healthy Products Healthy Planet (HP2) offers a comprehensive assessment of all green products and services markets associated with the environment, sustainability, personal health & wellness, fitness, alternative medicine, and natural/organic products. Major product groups analyzed include consumer products, consumer durable goods, industrial products, industrial services and recycled materials. The report consists of 48 individual segments quantified in terms of consumer sales from 2002-2007 with forecasts out to 2012.
Inside HP2 Report: The HP2 market is at the nexus of two major trends - environmental sustainability and health & wellness - and includes all products and services sold to benefit the environment or promote personal health. The report contains analysis and forecasts for 5 major categories and 48 subcategories, including:
* Consumer products like organic food and fitness equipment
* Consumer services like complementary & alternative medicine and ecotourism
* Industrial equipment like water filtration and wind power systems
* Industrial services like environmental consulting and waste management
* Sales of recycled material
* Emerging categories like green building, sustainable timber and hybrid cars

Electric energy produced by moving water such as from tidal power or from rivers using turbines.

Used as solvents and cleaners in the semiconductor industry, among others; experts say that they possess global warming potentials that are thousands of times greater than CO2.

Species that define a characteristic of trait of the environment. Indicator species are used to assess the condition of an environment because they are often more sensitive than other species to environmental changes.

An approach to enhancing crop and livestock production based on an understanding of ecological principles. Chemical pesticides are used only when biological and cultural control methods and available technologies fail to keep pests below acceptable levels and when assessment of associated risks and benefits indicates that the benefits of the use of chemicals outweigh the costs (SPIPM, 2007).

Species which are non-native to the ecosystem under consideration, and whose introduction is likely to cause economic, environmental, or human health harms (NISIC, 2007).

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the leading body for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences.

The IPCC is a scientific body. It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. It does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters. Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis. Review is an essential part of the IPCC process, to ensure an objective and complete assessment of current information. Differing viewpoints existing within the scientific community are reflected in the IPCC reports.

http://www.iso.org/iso/en/iso9000-14000/understand/inbrief.html - “ISO (International Standard Organization) 14001 gives the requirements for an environmental management system (EMS), which is a tool for helping organizations to implement good environmental practice and to aim for continual improvement of their environmental performance.” For example, the ISO 14000 family of standards addresses areas like greenhouse gas accounting and life cycle analysis.

A plant related to cotton and okra that can be used as alternative fiber for paper-making (Vision Paper, 2007)

Used to measure electricity and natural gas usage.

U.S. Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 3371-3378, a long-standing wildlife trafficking statute, protects both plants and wildlife by creating civil and criminal penalties for a wide array of violations. Most notably, the Act prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold. Thus, the Act underscores other federal, state, and foreign laws protecting wildlife by making it a separate offense to take, possess, transport, or sell wildlife that has been taken in violation of those laws. In May 2008, The U.S. Congress amended the to include trade in products made from illegally harvested wood.

LCA is one of the first steps needed for sustainable product certification to establish the baseline for quantified environmental improvements and is required by FTC Environmental Marketing Guides and Attorney General Green Guides for any broad environmental claim, i.e., environmentally friendly, green, environmentally preferable or sustainable. These requirements are based on truth in advertising law. Consumers believe these products are environmentally beneficial in all respects and thus the only accepted, standardized way of doing this is by conducting an ISO Compliant LCA. Accordingly, LCA or actual supplier environmental data are required for sustainable product certification on a product platform basis. LCA identifies 12 environmental benefit / impacts of products for all product stages: extraction, transportation, use, and final disposition or reuse. These 12 impacts are: Global Warming, Acidification, Ozone Depletion, Eutrophication, Photochemical Smog, Human Health, Ecological Toxicity, Fossil Fuel Depletion, Habitat Alteration, Criteria Air Pollutants, Water Intake, Solid and Hazardous Waste. Also required are Pollutant Flows (Flue Gas and Wastewater); Recovered Matter; Other Air Emissions; Other Water Effluents.
http://www.epa.gov/NRMRL/lcaccess/lca101.html

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

LCA is one of the first steps needed for sustainable product certification to establish the baseline for quantified environmental improvements and is required by FTC Environmental Marketing Guides and Attorney General Green Guides for any broad environmental claim, i.e., environmentally friendly, green, environmentally preferable or sustainable. These requirements are based on truth in advertising law. Consumers believe these products are environmentally beneficial in all respects and thus the only accepted, standardized way of doing this is by conducting an ISO Compliant LCA. Accordingly, LCA or actual supplier environmental data are required for sustainable product certification on a product platform basis.
LCA identifies 12 environmental benefit / impacts of products for all product stages: extraction, transportation, use, and final disposition or reuse. These 12 impacts are: Global Warming, Acidification, Ozone Depletion, Eutrophication, Photochemical Smog, Human Health, Ecological Toxicity, Fossil Fuel Depletion, Habitat Alteration, Criteria Air Pollutants, Water Intake, Solid and Hazardous Waste. Also required are Pollutant Flows (Flue Gas and Wastewater); Recovered Matter; Other Air Emissions; Other Water Effluents.

Means the total impact of a system, function, product or service from the
extraction of raw materials through its end-of-life management.
Renewable Energy – A renewable energy source is defined as any energy source that
is replenishable and replenished on some reasonable time scale. Renewable energy
sources include, but are not limited to wind, solar, heat from the earth's interior, oceans,
rivers, and eligible biomass.

Living wage is a term used to describe the minimum hourly wage necessary for a person to achieve some specific standard of living. this standard generally means that a person working forty hours a week, with no additional income, should be able to afford a specified quality or quantity of housing, food, utilities, transport, health care, and recreation. This concept differs from the minimum wage in that the latter is set by law and may fail to meet the requirements of a living wage.

LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, a market segment focused on health and fitness, the environment, personal development, sustainable living, and social justice.

For meat and poultry: minimally processed, with no artificial flavor, coloring, or chemical preservatives. For all the rest, no clear definition.

A leading business consulting and market research firm within the world of health and wellness.

Natural resource such as coal, gas, or oil that, once consumed, cannot be replaced. Most energy resources currently in use are non-renewable while the renewable ones (such as wind and solar power) remain largely untapped.

All forest products except timber. Non-wood forest products include other materials obtained from trees such as resins and leaves, as well as other plant and animal products such as mushrooms, berries, medicinal herbs, game, etc. (FAO, 2007A).

Ingredients pose no health risk

OEKOTEX sets globally uniform test criteria for safe use of chemicals in textiles, tests textiles during and after manufacturing process and certifies textiles as ecologically safe for humans.

the process of reducing carbon emissions by 'offsetting' it. An example is by taking a flight and in compensation paying a company to plant trees to equal the carbon use out.

Fossil Fuel used to produce petrol ect and other materials such as plastics

A forest that has originated through natural succession and maintains significant portions of dead wood and old trees. A multi-layered structure is often present and the forest may be at climax (mature) stage (Lund, 2007).

While it technically refers to molecules made up of two or more atoms of carbon, it's generally now used as s term for the growth of vegetables ect. without the use of artificial pesticides or fertilizer.

An engineered wood made from strands of wood in specific orientations bonded together with was and adhesives. Oriented strand board has similar properties to plywood but is less expensive.

In the upper atmosphere about 15 miles above sea level it forms a protective layer which shields the earth from excessive ultraviolet radiation and occurs naturally.

Solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity. Power is produced when sunlight strikes the semiconductor material and creates an electrical current.

A document often required by governments for the import of non-processed plant products. Depending on the state or country, export products should meet certain sanitary standards related to storage pests, plant diseases, chemical treatment and weeds (GFTN, 2005).

man-made durable and flexible synthetic-based product. Composed mainly of Petroleum.

The waste collected after the consumer has used and disposed of it.
Types of Post consumer waste include:
* packaging
* parts that are not needed, such as fruit skins, bones in meat, etc.
* undesired things received, e.g.:
o advertising material in the mailbox
o a flyer received in the street without having the opportunity to refuse
o dust, weed, fallen leaves, etc.

To finish the SFC verification process your company or organization must have a statement in the public sector (web site, letterhead, brochures, publicity materials, etc) explaining your commitment to sustainability. This statement must be submitted to the verification specialist

Reclamation is a service provided by suppliers, manufacturers, or retailers who accept or buy back materials or products from their customers. Reuse is an important part of a product’s life and prevents harmful incineration or landfilling. Reuse substantially reduces climate pollution, saves energy, and eliminates the product extraction stage, and can lessen impacts from the manufacturing stage.

Alternative energy sources such as wind power or solar energy that can keep producing energy indefinitely without being used up.

A renewable raw material is any material that is replenishable and replenished on some reasonable time scale. Renewable material
sources include, but are not limited to wood, grass fibers, plant-based plastics, fuels and 100 percent recycled content metals, papers, plastics and glass.

Refers to the concept of continuously improving the utility and durability of the product or service provided while reducing its
total material and energy throughput such as the use of less energy, the generation of less waste, and the use of less mass per unit produced.

Are set by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for a variety of solvents. Check OSHA.gov for more information to your specific chemical exposure level.

A program to certify forests to insure they are being managed in a sustainable manner. An initiative by participating forest products companies to practice a land stewardship ethic that integrates the managing, growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees for useful products with the conservation of soil, air, and water quality, wildlife, and fish habitat and aesthetics (American Forest and Paper Association 1995).

A significant aspect is an environmental aspect that has or can have significant environmental impact.

SMART Sustainable Furniture Certification is a transparent, consensus, quantified sustainable furniture and carpet standards developed through an American National Standards Institute Accredited Process. They have been approved for LEED credit, are part of the American Institute of Architects 2015 Imperative to Stop Irreversible Dangerous Climate Change, and part of the Capital Markets Partnership requirements for sustainable mortgage backed securities; California Gold Carpet Standard has been adopted by the State for all government purchasing. Sustainable furniture products and carpet have been certified. See: http://mts.sustainableproducts.com/smartstandards.html.
Some of requirements of SMART Sustainable Furniture Certification are:
Show that 100% of wood products (based on percentage of inventory) are FSC certified or a demonstrated equivalent.
• Show that 76-100% of products using materials other than wood (based on percentage of inventory) are made with recycled or bio-based materials.
• Based on an ISO 14025 Compliant LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) or actual data.
• Credit for pollution reductions from an established baseline for both the manufacturing and supplier facilities.
• Have in place an independent 3rd party audited manufacturer and supplier social equity code of conduct for all suppliers.
• Toxic Stockholm Chemical elimination for manufacturers and suppliers as specified by international treaty
• VOC and carcinogenic VOC emission reductions
• Toxic and other air, water and waste pollution reductions

Involves the identification of issues, the development of standards and
the implementation of programs that address corporate responsibility for the ethical
treatment of employees, communities and other stakeholders.

A management system to encompass the conscious management of interactions between an organization and its social environment (Social Management Systems, 2007)

heat from the sun is absorbed by collectors and transferred by pumps or fans to a storage unit for later use or to the house interior directly. Controls regulating the operation are needed. Or the heat can be transferred to water pumps for hot water.

This refers to a pollution prevention technique that eliminates the
potential for pollution at the source, or where the polluting material enters the product or
service cycle.

SO2 is a heavy, smelly gas which can be condensed into a clear liquid. It's used to make sulfuric acid, bleaching agents, preservatives and refrigerants and a major source of air pollution.

The different steps through which wood and paper-based products go from being harvested to an end product.

Refers to any voluntary business code of conduct or code
of practice that calls for simultaneous improvements in economic, environmental, and
social performance.

This refers to efforts by industry to achieve sustainable development goals that call for simultaneous performance improvements in economic vitality; ecological integrity; and social equity.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, (signed in Stockholm, May 23, 2001) is intended to eliminate or restrict the production, use and/or release of twelve chemicals that, due to their persistence in the environment, can affect human health throughout the globe, regardless of the location of their use. The twelve chemicals include; pesticides (Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, Heptachlor, Hexachlorobenzene, Dieldrin, Mirex, Toxaphene), industrial products (PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls) and byproducts, i.e., unintentionally formed chemicals (polychlorinated dioxins and furans).

The first step in a tree-free approach is to work towards eliminating paperwork and the quantity of copies we must make. Beyond that, a tree-free approach means using paper from non-wood sources. The production of tree-free paper uses less water, no chlorine or harmful chemicals, & requires less energy. Tree-Free uses paper from sources like kenaf, sugar cane, and bamboo, as well as from post-consumer recycled paper.

Sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic vitality; ecological integrity; and social equity. Companies aiming for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial bottom line, but against the triple bottom line.

In addition to illegal logging, a number of controversial sources of wood including: protected areas or forests that have been proposed for national parks but have not yet been formally protected; forests deemed to be special places; forests where there are serious tenure disputes, particularly where these involve the failure to respect the customary rights of indigenous or local people; forests that are inappropriate converted to other land uses (Nussbaum and Simula, 2005).

The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation. Founded in 1993, it promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and Greenbuild, a green building conference that promotes the green building industry, including environmentally responsible materials, sustainable architecture techniques and public policy.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands. Examples include: paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers, and photographic solutions.

Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products. Paints, varnishes, and wax all contain organic solvents, as do many cleaning, disinfecting, cosmetic, degreasing, and hobby products. Fuels are made up of organic chemicals. All of these products can release organic compounds while you are using them, and, to some degree, when they are stored