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THE PICTURALIST'S APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENT
GREEN vs. ECO FRIENDLY vs. SUSTAINABLE
The meaning of the word “green” has long outgrown the color. It’s now frequently used in a colloquial speech to apply to almost everything related to benefiting the environment, from the movement to architecture and fashion.
Eco-friendly isn’t quite so broad. It means that something doesn’t harm the planet.
But sustainable is the most precisely defined term here, and represents the wide scope of issues and activities that, according to the United Nations, do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Sustainability sets the focus on the future. It means the item or action is generating environmental, social and economic benefits, while not using up too many resources or causing pollution. Yes, all these aspects are covered under this one word.
Compared to ‘”green” and “eco-friendly,” sustainability has much higher standards. Sustainability includes eco-friendly activities and green products, but green doesn’t necessarily mean sustainable. For instance, a product made from renewable resources is considered green, yet if a life-cycle analysis shows that it required a lot of energy to manufacture and ship to you, and if there isn’t a proper way to dispose of the product, then it’s not considered sustainable.
All our moulding is eco-responsible whenever possible.
• Our moulding is Made in the USA whenever possible for a reduced carbon footprint.
• All paper in our catalog comes from sustainably managed forests.
• We never, EVER purchase endangered species wood.
• We work with our vendors to develop innovative new packaging materials.
Conscious Waste = Zero Landfill
• Every single ingredient that can be recycled or upcycled, absolutely is.
• Our trash compacter & can crusher reduces trash hauls & carbon emissions.
• All ink and toner cartridges are refilled or recycled.
• Electronic waste is specially processed to reduce leaching.
• Zero by-products from printing our catalogs end up in a landfill. Everything is recycled!
• The very small amount of waste that remains is converted into energy or materials used to make concrete!
After your picture frames and prints are done, everything gets shipped out to you. You can recycle it just like you would a plastic shopping bag. As you can imagine, we’ve got a lot of boxes coming in and out of The Picturalist. That’s why one of our brilliant team members started a “send it forward” project so that we re-mail and re-purpose as many of these boxes as possible.
(Here’s a cool fact: maintaining the original shape of a box lengthens its life – the recycling process shortens fibers, limiting the number of times it can be reused to about six or seven).
Increased volume purchasing & improved scheduling reduces energy waste & pollution.
• Our HVAC units are the most energy efficient available.
• Our roof is white to reflect heat and keep us as eco-friendly as possible.
• We save almost 64,000 watts per year through energy efficient lighting options.
• Every toilet is now low-water use for high efficiency.
• We use half as much energy thanks to company-wide computer power-saving plan.
• Paperless payroll saves 472 lbs. of landfill space.
Additionally, state-of-the-art pollution control equipment used during the printing process actually helps clean the air, rather than pollute it!
We are proud to mention some our vendor statements on this matter:
Studio Moulding is a designer and distributor of quality mouldings and frames to the picture frame industry. Most of our products are sourced from a factory which practice sustainable harvesting of forests. The factory is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and COC (Chain Of Custody) certified company (Certificate on file). Studio is an Eco-Friendly company that strives to help preserve our sensitive environment.
Framerica is honoured to have been licensed by the composite Panel Association and its Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) Downstream Program. The program is designed to provide retailers, distributors, designers, specifiers, OEM's and consumers an easy way to identify environmentally responsible products. Each year millions of tons of wood waste is collected. Post-consumer goods like pallets, skids, construction materials, trim ends and saw dust (which would have been otherwise been destined to mass burning or landfills) along with wood chips are reclaimed and milled to uniform particles. Excess moisture is then removed and a binder is added via computer controlled processes. Thereafter, intense steam, heat and pressure are applied to form a solid material. The Bonanza wood is created which is one of Framerica exclusive products.
Many 'seals of approval' are being used to signify the compliance of various environmental standards developed by a number of non-profit organizations. One version of certification that you see in the paper-making industry is ISO 14001. This internationally recognized environmental management system (EMS) standard ensures compliance with environmental laws and regulations governing a wide variety of environmental activities. Individual countries also provide their own environmental certification, which we have noted where applicable. As you can see below, the list of certified papers that Legion offers is extensive representing our continued efforts to supply you papers manufactured with minimal environmental impact.
Additional information on some of the certifications available can be found here and here .
For more information on ISO 14001, please visit:
Cotton, bamboo, cork, plant fibers, grass, flowers and even vegetables. Tree-Free is the ultimate eco-friendly material found in many of our papers. Some of our most prominent papers are 100% cotton. From the renowned Stonehenge papers to the Entrada Rag digital paper, cotton is the key ingredient. In fact, the cotton used to manufacture our papers is not from the puffy white flower that we all recognize as cotton, but rather the linters, or byproduct, from the textile industry. Textiles are made using the longest, highest-quality fibers - the rest is discarded. This wasted cotton is salvaged and used to manufacture our cotton papers. Nothing could be more eco-friendly than reusing a product that is considered waste - otherwise this would all end up in the trash.
Our Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) papers have been bleached without any chlorine - or have not been bleached at all. All of our cotton papers, for example, are TCF. Another common bleaching process in the paper industry is Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF), which is a bleaching agent that utilizes a pollution prevention technology to eliminate persistent, bioaccumulative toxic substances in mill waste-water. The bleaching agent is a derivative of chlorine called chlorine dioxide, which is less harmful to the environment than elemental chlorine. What this ensures is an environmentally safe method to bleach the paper without the harmful chemical effects of chlorine. For more information on Chlorine Free paper, please visit this informative website.
When it comes to environmentally-friendly, handmade papers lead the pack. All our handmade papers are tree and chemical-free with every aspect of the paper-making process being done by hand. Compared to a conventional paper mill, the handmade paper manufacturing process uses much less energy per ton of the paper produced, thus significantly contributing much less towards pollution and global warming. In many cases, handmade papermaking uses solar energy for drying.
Whether it's water, wind or solar, when a manufacturer invests in alternate sources of energy to power their business, the impact affects us all. That's why we've highlighted these papers which are produced by mills using various alternative methods to produce electricity minimizing their carbon footprint. Some mills even use agro-waste materials to generate energy. Our digital imaging division, Moab by Legion Paper, runs on 100% wind energy and is located in the heart of the west's national parks system where there is an emphasis on living green. Legion Paper has been recognized for its Champion-level participation in the Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program by converting its Moab offices to 100% renewable wind power.