Green Practices
Doing our part to protect the environment
We at VersaDesks have always had a strong belief in doing our part to protect the environment, despite the additional short term expenses of time, money, and manpower. We believe that the long-term protection of our planet’s limited natural resources is more important than increasing our profit margins.
We are committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship by manufacturing products with a minimal impact on the environment. We recognize the potential impact our processes and products have on the earth, so we actively pursue every avenue of manufacturing sustainability and make it part of our company culture. Every product we manufacture uses the finest, locally sourced materials and is built to last a lifetime.
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100%
We use only 100% recycled steel
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95%
Utilizing 95% natural light coverage
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500
We work with local suppliers who reside in a 500 mile radius
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Certifications
We believe that third party verification is a necessary step in maintaining accountability and credibility throughout our organization. Working with organizations such as the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC), U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA)– and only doing business with vendors that do the same — allows us to consistently maintain our sustainability goals.
Every facet of our manufacturing process, supply chain, and product lifecycle undergoes strict scrutiny to ensure top ratings in each field. Some of the certifications and programs our wood products are associated with include the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). We also use only 100% recycled steel for all of the frames and sheet metal components of our furniture.
Materials & Resources
The materials used at VersaDesks must meet strict environmental guidelines. The Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) certified fiberboard used for our surfaces contains a minimum of 90% recycled content, and the cold rolled steel used in all of our frames is 80% or more recycled material.
We’ve taken great measures to work with local suppliers that adhere to these same standards and who reside in a 500 mile radius of our facilities in order to reduce transit pollution. Our product packaging is recyclable, derived from recycled material, and custom made to properly house each individual product, thus greatly reducing packaging waste.
Innovative Design
Utilizing sustainable materials and implementing manufacturing practices with minimal environmental impact is one of the most important things we can do as a company to achieve our environmental goals. However, the actual physical design of a product is often of equal importance.
Our engineering team takes every step to ensure minimal material waste in the design of each product. Automated machining eliminates unnecessary energy use, and products are designed to use rapidly renewable resources in every possible application.
Leed Contributions
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable practices through the creation and implementation of universally accepted tools and performance criteria. VersaTables makes every effort to adhere to these strict standards in every process and practice, and has contributed to numerous potential LEED credits in several industries. With a LEED Green Associate on staff full-time at Versa Products, we are able to constantly review and renew our LEED strategy on a daily basis.
Our Facilities
Although we continue to grow in size year after year, we’ve always maintained facilities that are on the cutting edge of energy efficiency and waste minimization. From the use of natural lighting via skylights throughout our factories and offices, paperless order processing in every department, a company-wide recycling program, and state-of-the-art energy efficient machines, VersaTables has gone above and beyond to eliminate waste in every capacity.
We strive to use the latest environmentally friendly machines and techniques to reduce our energy use. Practices as simple as utilizing 95% natural light coverage instead of standard fluorescent lighting have decreased our electricity demands significantly. Features such as natural lighting and clean air equipment help to improve and protect the environment, and create a healthier environment for all of our employees and visitors.
Manufacturing Practices
VersaDesks has gone to great expense to implement numerous “Green” manufacturing processes aimed at substantially reducing the production of air and water pollutants common among our competitors. Through the use of the latest manufacturing technology, lean processes, and just-in-time manufacturing techniques, we are able to significantly reduce energy and waste while increasing efficiency.
Automated production through the use of state of the art machinery eliminates unnecessary energy waste and air pollution, and allows for multiple processes to occur simultaneously. Each product is built to client specification once an order has been received, thus reducing wasteful warehouse inventory, unnecessary products, and space depletion.
Our closed-circuit powered painting system, non-toxic laminates, and natural latex edging strips provide a few examples of our dedication to environmentally friendly manufacturing.
Throughout every aspect of our order processing system — from online electronic order placement to our paperless e-fax system — the presence and necessity of paper printouts is kept to a bare minimum.
We believe the environment, our community, and our customers deserve the attention we put into every step of our manufacturing process, resulting in products that are durable, functional, and sustainable.
Awareness & Education
Education related to environmental consciousness and sustainability initiatives is a fundamental key to the overall culture and learning environment at VersaTables. Understanding the potential impact we have on the planet and learning to implement ways that will reduce the effect is a primary building block of our success.
With a certified LEED Green Associate on staff full-time, Versa Products holds a quarterly Sustainability in Manufacturing (SIM) workshop to ensure every employee is properly educated on what we can do as a company to protect our environment for future generations. This instills a sense of pride in the stewardship we strive for and brings cohesion to our vision as a company-wide goal.