COMPANY » ENVIRONMENT
Environmental Policy
Paoli is committed to a strong environmental management program based on environmental sustainability. Because we recognize the potential impact our products and processes have on the environment, we are passionate about integrating environmental stewardship and sustainability into our corporate culture.
We will drive our actions in support of this policy by:
- Seeking to use renewable materials and processes whenever possible. These materials and processes are the foundation of our product lines and meet the needs of our clients and the environment. By using renewable hardwoods and other natural materials, integrating recycled materials into our processes when possible and manufacturing a strong product built to last, Paoli supports our dual mission to serve our customers' needs while improving the environment.
- Striving to meet or exceed industry environmental standards and regulations
- Pledging our resources to minimize our impact on the environment through Pollution Prevention. Minimization of emissions and waste generated and reduction of the consumpution of energy, water and raw materials are the goals of Paoli's Pollution Prevention Program.
- Commiting our research and development capabilities to investigate new materials and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes to secure ecologically responsible alternatives to traditional methods.
- Minimizing our environmental impact through continuous improvement of our equipment and process management capabilities.
The guiding principals of Paoli's Environmental Policy are to:
Protect and Improve the Environment for Future Generations
Life Cycle
Paoli products are built to last. They are developed to be environmentally neutral in their intended use and rigorously tested to ensure they surpass industry durability standards. We build products that will have a long, useful like span; they are not designed to be disposable and replaced multiple times.
In commerical office environments, the demands of the furniture include heavy use, limited maintenance and maximum flexibility. Each design is carefully considered for structure, strength, and durability to meet client expectations. These elements are critical to a long product lifecycle and reduced landfill waste.
Construction
Wood
Paoli furniture is constructed maximizing utilization of wood that results in superior strength and enhanced use of the wood. American hardwood (cherry, sycamore, maple, and beech) has been a renewable resource since the founding of our nation and is the main source of Paoli's building material. The demand for these species and their economic viability has driven continual reforestation. Our obiligation is to maximize the benefit from sustainable forests by establishing "best practice" manufacturing processes.
Work Surfaces
A wood veneer inset is a natural wood product that provides a beautiful wood surface. Paoli utilizes this construction method to support the efficient use of hardwood material. A thin layer of hardwood is glued to a recycled wood core and surrounded with a solid wood edge. The finished product is a stable, long lasting surface with all of the character of wood.
Just In Time Manufacturing (JITM)
Every Paoli product is built to client specifications once an order has been recieved. Projects often call for custom or modified products, and Paoli believes our customers deserve our utmost attention to every specific need. We do not produce or warehoue inventory, which creates unneeded products, depletes resources and creates waste. Paoli believes the environment, our community, and our clients deserve this attention which produces a more satisfying result overall for everyone.
Air Quality
Finishing
Paoli is committed to playing its part in preserving clean air by reducing air emissions to the lowest possible levels. Product finishing provides the greatest opportunity to make a positive impact concerning air quality. By researching alternative methods, we have been able to eliminate processes that contribute to air emissions. For example, by researching alternative methods, we have eliminated the wipe step which reduces emissions as well as waste from contaminated rags. The company has also invested in switching from airless application guns to air assisted airless guns for all sealers and topcoats. This results in better transfer efficiency of the material and therefore less air emissions. In addition, our re-formulated clear coat finish material increases solid content and limits VOC emissions.
Upholstery
Paoli utilizes poly foam in the production of upholstery. This poly foam is chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) free and emits no VOC's.
Recycling
The ever increasing need for natural resources, and their diminishing supply, has made recycling one of the most important movements of our time. Paoli embraces recycling in our daily procedures. Tons of material is diverted annually from landfills by utilizing reusable wood pallets, recycling steel banding and fluorescent lights, and implementing recycling programs for cardboard, mixed paper, plastic and aluminum. This diversion has been increased more than four times what used to be land-filled. Sawdust and scrap lumber collected from mill room operations is ground up and utilized in other products. Sawdust is given back to the land by first sending it to local farmers for use as animal bedding and then directly land applied.
Packaging
Limiting material use is a key factor in conserving the environment. Paoli is committed to this idea and utilizes packaging materials in a way that reduces bulk and weight.
Transportation
How Paoli transports product is just as important to us as our products. Transporters of Paoli furniture share and adhere to our own high standards and environmental commitment. Whenever possible, Paoli consolidates trucks for multiple orders to maximize fuel use and we strive to ensure that every truck leaving the facility has a full load. Paoli also enforces a "no idling" policy and all trucks are equipped with governors to control driving speeds.
Energy
Paoli strives to optimize energy in order to conserve valuable resources. While it is a cost savings for our company to research energy conservation methods, it is equally beneficial to the environment. We have installed a halogen oven for drying material. This innovative piece of equipment replaced a traditional convection oven. The new oven has a faster cycle time and cures more efficiently. This innovation also eliminated the use of natural gas as a fuel for curing our product. We have replaced HID lighting with more efficient T8 bulbs. These modernized lights deliver more lumens while using about half the wattage of a traditional bulb resulting in an overall increase in efficency of 60%.
LEAN Manufacturing
LEAN manufacturing is an integral part of the process at Paoli. Cellular manufacturing techniques we use bring human scale to process requirements. Working in cells, processes have to be human-friendly. This elminates harmful solvents and reduces waste, improving environmental performance and business performance at the same time. LEAN manufacturing at Paoli has resulted in significant reduction in floor space need for manufacturing resulting in less energy use.
Skills Training
Paoli realizes that one of the most important factors in our mission to reduce the impact we have on the environment is employee awareness. We strive for continuous improvement of the tasks performed by our employees by means of providing information, training, and involvement in environmental projects. In partnership with the Clean Manufacturing Technologies Institute at Purdue University, our spray finish technicians are trained in proper spray technique, proper spray gun setup, how to reduce clean-up solvent waste, and ways to improve transfer efficiency. These are critical factors for helping keep our air clean. Employee awareness of key practices concerning environmental conservation ensures ongoing compliance and conservation throughout the company.
LEED™ Credits
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.
Paoli products may contribute to the following Leed Credits:
Material and Resources
Credit 4.1 - Recycled Content, 10% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer)
Credit 4.2 - Recycled Content, 20% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer)
Credit 5.1 - Regional Materials, 10% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally
Credit 5.2 - Regional Materials, 20% Extracted, Processed & Manufactured Regionally