Working in the forest, we normally aren’t that concerned with labels; however, when it comes to stamping our engineered hardwood floors with a Declare Label, we are ready to strut our stuff to spread the word! For those of you that are not familiar with the Declare seal of approval, it is essentially a nutrition guide/label for the product. It also answers three very important questions:

Where does a product come from?
What is it made of?
Where does it go at the end of its life?

This provides consumers and industry professionals with a 100% transparent look into the products they ultimately decide to use. The way we see it at Zena, you certainly wouldn’t apply a skin product to your child without checking the label first, so why aren’t we able to check the ingredients list on the products we build our own family homes with? It has long been the policy of ZFP to remain fully transparent about our products, and this is exactly why we began the Declare process and required VOC testing.

Before we get any further into this rather complicated process, let’s explore exactly what goes into a Declare label. Why is it so important to you, the consumer? The following image has a breakdown of what each section means and answers those three questions: where is it sourced (responsible sourcing/final assembly location); what is it composed of (ingredients are reported by component/LBC exceptions and compliance/i-13 redlist/i-10 interior performance); and what happened to it at end of use (end-of-life options)?

Image Source: https://living-future.org/

The first step to beginning this process is to fill out your own weight in paperwork, lol! Joking aside, to become eligible, you will want to start by registering with both International Living Future Institute and the affiliated product compliance managing software -Toxnot. Once we completed the necessary documentation, it was time for the VOC testing, or “volatile organic compounds.” This test is vital to expose any harmful off-gassing of the materials you place in your home. We enlisted Berkeley Analytical to perform this process, and to no surprise, we passed with flying colors. To put it in perspective, the highest certification bar out there is the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) standard, this allows up to 9 micrograms/cubic meter of formaldehyde and our samples emitted only 1 microgram/cubic meter!

All that was left at that point was to make sure we are answering those three original questions…

When it comes to where we source Zena Forest Products’ engineered flooring, we have have 3 components: Most importantly, we have our very own natural resource -Zena Forest hardwoods, (Oregon white oak, big leaf maple, and Oregon Ash). Second, is Baltic birch plywood, (the industry leader in performance). Lastly, we have the adhesive to bind those two elements together, (a proprietary product, which is why it was so important to have the VOC testing to prove its benign composition).
2. Our new label will be able to breakdown exactly what our product is composed of and the quantities of those ingredients within each material.
3. Proudly, we are able to claim that our product will be a 100% compost-able product at the end of life. Furthermore, 1/3 of the product is able to be used until its final sanding end-life, (which is predicted to be an average of 125+ years).

During the final stages of the process we went through a rigorous review and publication process to verify our FSC chain of custody, VOC testing verification, and ingredient summary by percentage. It is because of this stringent compliance that we can fully assert that our products are now in line with the global standard of green living.

Now, without further delay, we are very excited to be able to display our very own Declare Label, with full transparency and pride…

It is our hope that this label bolsters the confidence that our partners, clients and prospective clients have already exhibited in our products. It is our mission to consistently exceed expectation and rise to the challenge of being as eco-friendly and continue to be end-life minded.

Sincerely,

Shannon Wanamaker

Director of Sales and Marketing

Zena Forest Products is Declaring It All