We care about the environment

At Leisurewood Kwila Outdoor Furniture we take resource conservation very seriously, after all; if we don’t promote and support the proper management of our natural resources we as a company will not exist in 10-15 years.  We take a long term view of resource management and promote practices that will ensure our natural timber resources are managed for long term use.  We also look for ways to reduce waste and for ways to minimize the impact of our operations on the local community. 

We are considered a ‘clean’ industry by many standards – we do not use excess energy, we produce no toxic waste by-products, we do not produce smoke or gas borne toxins, we use clean compressed air in our manufacturing processes, we collect 98% of all saw dust through our dust extraction system and in general terms have a minimal ‘negative environmental footprint’ in the local community that we operate in.

In producing high quality furniture to the extent that we do we are also NOT promoting the use of non-disposable ‘cheap’ mass produced furniture that we believe contributes to significant environmental damage (e.g. plastics and glass) and land-fill challenges.  Our furniture is designed to last many years as apposed to much of the imported furniture that finds its way to retailers and consumers.  We firmly believe that a piece of furniture designed to last 30-50 years and beyond will make a significant reduction to the amount of disposable furniture that may be otherwise purchased, used and then discarded.

Our Environmental Conscience extends to a 3 fold focus:

CHAIN OF CUSTODY CERTIFICATION

All our timber is sourced from legally operated mills that are fully compliant with their respective Government licensed timber concessions and operating guidelines for the management and sustainability of their respective timber resources.  The licenses and permits are issued by the elected Government of the supplying country and we also ensure that the respective companies are fully compliant relative to export licensing.  We do not import timber from millers who do not comply with all their respective regulatory bodies conditions – this includes timber or finished product from those countries or organizations who are not signatories to the ITTO and its protocols. 

In compliance with the Forestry Institute of Malaysia and the Indonesian National Policy of Forestry Management, all timber is supplied under the guidelines of the International Tropical Timber Organization [ITTO]. To operate in their chosen markets, Leisurewood Kwila Outdoor Furniture’s suppliers are required to comply with the Sustainable Management of Tropical Forests, as set down by the International Tropical Timber Council in Yokohama in December 1991.  These strict guidelines for the management and harvesting of specialty timbers require sound management of selected forests that balances the needs of a renewable source of timber, the local economy, the micro and macro environment and the local ecology in general. Our partners are committed to utilizing and conserving their extensive national wealth in perpetuity for the benefit of present and future generations which is as it should be.

All timber milled for our suppliers has been DNA tested and that DNA information held in ‘bank’ for future verification of all our furniture – i.e. Chain of Custody certification.  At any time we can prove (through DNA testing and comparison) that any timber used in our furniture has been milled from legal sources and in compliance with sustainable practices.  Naturally such testing comes at a cost and the costs of any requests for DNA testing and verification will rest with the consumer or end-recipient of the reporting process.

REDUCTION OF WASTE

All the timber we import is used in the manufacture of our products – we have minimal waste and any waste that is produced is certainly not burnt.  Our manufacturing dust extraction machinery and equipment meets high standards of efficiency thereby ensuring any dust is disposed of through our waste bin collection processes rather than finding its way into the surrounding environment.  Any saw dust or other waste is also ‘clean’ waste and breaks down very easily and quickly in land-fill areas – no toxins or other long-term ill effects are produced in the environment.  We also actively promote the use of any longer lengths of waste timber in schools and other training institutions or sheltered workshops – this way any longer lengths of timber not used directly by GCK have a use to other organizations and/or individuals and is not wasted.

SUPPORT FOR THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

We actively support the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 by purchasing carbon credits each month.  A certain % of our total sales are spent in purchasing Carbon Credits as administered and regulated by the Kyoto Protocol.  These CC’s go towards projects that promote reafforestation or ‘carbon sequestration’ lock-in programs.  We actively support the Kyoto Protocol and each piece of furniture we sell goes towards that support in a tangible and practical way.

GCK fully supports sustainable practices of timber resource management and also actively works to reduce its manufacturing ‘foot print’ in the local community.