...........Environmental Sustainability...........

Gordon International has worked closely with its vendor base to develop a sustainable environmental policy that balances the logic of ‘green’ ambitions with the limitations inherent in contract office furniture. The manufacturing process for metals, plastics, woods and upholstery materials is inherently impactful on the environment, and will continue to influence our planet well into the future.

Our objective is to align ourselves with resources that are mindful of 'Life Cycle Assessment' policy, fully engaged in the use of completely recyclable materials, and working toward a comprehensive set of efficiency standards, from materials usage to systems and work flows.

We are proud to represent some of Europe’s leaders in these areas, and to promote product designs in the United States that are compliant with the rigorous standards of ISO 9000 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management). 14001 certification standards set the bar for mindful environmental policy in Europe today, and represent the most comprehensive approach to good environmental stewardship in the global furniture industry.

Not all of our products currently meet these standards, but we continue to work toward that end, and provide icons for sustainability where applicable on the pages within this web.

A global recycling symbol is used to indicate that all materials in the applicable product are 100% recyclable. Note that while our products attempt to consume as few new resources as possible, it is often the case that recycled materials cannot be used in furniture. Recycled plastics, for example, do not maintain the durability necessary for high impact, public space use. Thus, the distinction between 'recycled' and 'recyclable'. Many of our products do contain some level of 'recycled' product as well.

A leaf symbol is used to indicate that the OEM responsible for all component parts of this product has been certified as ISO 14001 compliant. This certification ensures not only current compliance, but more significantly, an approach that will evolve effectively with future technological advances that benefit the global green initiative.