Environmental Statement
We at Hertco Kitchens understand how environmental awareness affects our lives and we are continuously taking practical measures to minimize any negative impact on our surroundings.
We comply with all government emission standards and regulations, as well as employ environmentally sound principles during the manufacturing process. On a daily basis, there is a concerted effort to reduce, reuse and recycle what we can.
It starts from order entry to purchasing, and continues through manufacturing and shipping. For example, during the planning stage, not only do we optimize all material lists to reduce waste, but we also consolidate shipments where possible to lower fuel consumption of transport vehicles that deliver and pick up from our facility. We recycle discarded cardboard and paper. We also grind all wood waste and incorporate structurally sound surplus materials in our case good construction.
As the demand for environmentally green products increases, we are researching and providing feasible options for our customers. Our current “green” offering consists of the following case goods with ultraviolet coatings combined with select doors manufactured from managed forests:
Birch Plywood Cases: Cabinets are made with ultraviolet cured prefinished panels. The UV coatings emit no volatile organic compounds and are formaldehyde free.
Engineered Wood Composite Veneer Doors: Doors are manufactured from sustainable and renewable resources. All veneer and solid wood doors finished at our factory are coated with a durable conversion varnish that has non-reportable hazardous air pollutants or formaldehyde. We use an advanced automated spray system with High Volume Low Pressure spray tips that provide the ecological benefit of limiting excess overspray.
At Hertco Kitchens, we are constantly pursuing improvement in manufacturing techniques by working together with suppliers who support and participate in minimizing the impact on the ecosystem.
Go Green
California Air Resources Board (CARB) Compliant Products
Hertco Kitchens is pleased to announce that all of our melamine and birch plywood cabinets are California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliant products.
The CARB regulation has established one of the most stringent production standards in the world for formaldehyde emissions from composite wood panels. Hertco Kitchens is defined under the CARB regulation as a fabricator (a company that manufactures domestic or imported finished goods made with regulated composite wood panels).
As a fabricator we are required to label our products and retain records showing date of purchase for composite materials for two years. Hertco Kitchens meets the requirements, and we have third party certification on our approved board materials.
As of January 1, 2011 our case goods made with Particleboard comply with Phase II of the regulation: Formaldehyde emissions ≤ 0.09 ppm* for particleboard (PB).
As of January 1, 2010 our case goods made with Birch Plywood comply with Phase I of the regulation: Formaldehyde emissions ≤ 0.05 ppm* for plywood (HWPW-VC).
In addition to using the CARB high standard composite boards, Hertco cabinets are assembled with waterbased formaldehyde free construction adhesives.
*ppm= parts per million and is used to denote low quantity levels. 1ppm is equal to one part per 1,000,000 or 10,000 times smaller than 1%.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
LEED is a building program that was developed to help promote healthy indoor spaces. The program is based on a rating system that defines what makes a building “green” with specific standards in Canada and the US for both new construction (NC) and existing buildings (EB). Hertco Kitchens can help you meet requirements for projects undergoing LEED certification by addressing the Material and Resources and the Indoor Environmental Quality categories.
The specific LEED green building points that are applicable and attainable through Hertco Kitchens are:
Category: Materials and Resources
LEED CREDIT MR4 - Recycled Content
Composite board used in our melamine cabinet case construction at Hertco Kitchens is 100% recycled core material.
Category: Materials and Resources
LEED CREDIT MR5 – Regional Materials
Within 500 miles radius of our Ferndale, WA factory to jobsite. Information can be provided on raw materials that are sourced locally including location of raw material
extraction and rail transportation distance.
Category: Materials and Resources
LEED CREDIT MR6 – Rapidly Renewable Materials
Eligible Door Styles:
European Steamed Beech
Composite Doors – reconstituted wood veneers
Category: Materials and Resources
LEED CREDIT MR7 – Certified Wood - Includes wood sourced from sustainable managed forest
European Steamed Beech
Certified wood – Hertco Kitchens can source Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified woods for your project. All FSC projects are subject to quote
Category: Indoor Environmental Quality
LEED CREDIT EQ4 – Low-emitting materials: Composite wood and laminate adhesives – NAUF.
Hertco Kitchens uses a durable conversion varnish seal and topcoat finish with non-reportable volatile organic (VOC) emissions. No Added Urea Formaldehyde (NAUF).
Composite boards for cabinet case construction are available on large projects and subject to quote. Water-based polyvinyl acetate assembly glue containing no
Formaldehyde or volatile organic compounds is used during our cabinet assembly.
