Greener Cabinetry at Gillingham Cabinets

We are pleased to announce that starting in January of 2010, our Greenhouse Gas emissions will be 50% lower for each and every cabinet we make.   You can read our press release here.

What did we do exactly?

In January of 2009, we started using low VOC wood standard in all of our products.  VOC stands for "volatile organic compounds" - like formaldehyde - that the sheets we used to use would emit for a few months after the sheets were first made. Once we started to use low-VOC wood, we looked to see if we could now recycle the extra pieces (offcuts) left over when we make cabinets. We found that Steel Pacific - a local recycling company - would take them, and then made arrangements for this to happen.

It may seem simple enough to start a recycling program, but the binding agents used in the particle board and plywood had presented a large barrier to recycling before this.  It's a great relief that we are able to start recycling this material now, because over 80% of our waste was organic matter that would decompose into methane - a very potent greenhouse gas. The result is that by making this change to our business, we are able to cut our green house gas emissions by over 50%

In addition, we have partnered with Cowichan Recyclists - the most environmentally committed recycling company going - to reduce our landfill waste even further.

How do we know this?

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we calculated our "carbon footprint" usng the methodology used in a  training program put on by Climate Smart.  This included assessing things like how much heat & electricity we use in our buildings, how much diesel and gasoline we use in deliveries - even the amount of fuel used by our employees commuting to work.

In fact, Climate Smart named us one of eight leading innovators in BC for strategies that cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce business costs.

As far as we know, we are the first cabinet company on Vancouver Island to calculate our greenhouse gas footprint, and we are pleased to be showing leadership in our industry.

Want to know more about our environmental efforts? 

Have a look at our green commitment, and ask us about what additional choices we offer for customers looking for an even-greener class of cabinet.