Sustainability
HELPING BUILD A GREENER WORLD
Commitment
Environamics, Inc. is committed to doing our part in maintaining and improving the quality of the natural environment for all future generations to share and enjoy through the implementation of sustainable design and manufacturing processes. The original 2-1/4 movable wall system was eco friendly before ‘green’ building became popular. The ability to relocate entire walls and reconfigure office space creates a tremendous value to environmentally conscious customers who are also concerned about return on their investment (ROI) of capital for their facilities. Many improvements such as utilizing low VOC (volatile organic compound) adhesives and materials have been incorporated over the years. New product and product lines have been developed with the environment in mind. Recyclability of product that has reached its useful life has always been an advantage of all the wall systems we manufacture. There are many benefits in choosing movable wall systems over conventional construction including potential LEED certification points.
LEED
No product or material can be LEED certified, only buildings meeting pre-defined criteria developed by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) after rigorous examination using one of the several rating systems including New Construction & Major Renovation or Commercial Interiors, may be declared LEED Platinum, Gold, Silver or Certified based on the number of credits attained.
Environamics, Inc. has a LEED Accredited Professional on staff that can answer any questions regarding the rating systems, provide detailed calculations before a project is installed and document information required by the rating system chosen.
Movable wall systems can help attain LEED credits in the following areas:
- Recycled Content – Standard Movable Wall typically contains 20-30% recycled content and Symbio Movable Wall typically contains 70-80% recycled content based on product mix and finishes selected.
- Regional Materials – Our Charlotte, NC manufacturing facility is within the 500 mile radius of most of the East Coast and Midwest population areas. Additionally, our manufacturing facilities obtain raw materials from local sources whenever possible.
- Indoor Environmental Quality – All wall system products are manufactured using low or no volatile organic compounds and typically no adhesives or sealants are required on the job site.
Enviromental Statement & Goals
Environamics aggressively practices environmental awareness and has established goals towards being “sustainable”. It is the goal of our company to show through programs, plans and activities, that our full height wall product solutions are also participating in the important stewardship of the planet.
ROI
One of the greatest advantages to specifying movable walls over conventional drywall is the ability to relocate and reconfigure all interior spaces rather than demolishing and re-constructing which will increase the return on capital investment. Detailed calculations can be provided for any project that would like to compare the costs advantages of our movable wall systems over traditional construction methods.
Recyclability
Symbio® Movable Wall and Slimline Glass Wall each utilize materials that have recycled content and are recyclable at the end of their useful life.
- Some of our demountable panels are constructed using gypsum, one of the most abundant raw materials on the planet. Gypsum is also one of the most recyclable building products.
- Aluminum is one of the most recycled materials used in construction. The aluminum we use in our wall systems components is extruded from aluminum that has a minimum 50% recycled content.
- Glass is another highly recyclable material, and has quickly become one of the most specified interior building components, contributing to the principals of natural daylighting of interior spaces and sight-line extension.
- Our panel hard-surface inserts are constructed from MDF board that contains up to 100% recycled material and to which no formaldehyde has been added. Panel inserts can be finished with a variety of eco friendly fabrics, wallcoverings and FSC certified wood veneers.
- FSC Certified Wood Products for panel inserts and doors may be special-ordered on request.
“Recycled” Headquarters
Environamics recycles buildings. When our company outgrew our original space — a small rented office/warehouse combo — we bought the old Wiggins Brothers building (circa 1923) in Charlotte’s South End, and completely renovated it. For several years, that was home, but we outgrew the building just as the Charlotte Trolley Line was completed.
We next moved to a building near the corner of Freedom Drive and Morehead Street that had been the original Lowe’s Home Improvement Store in Charlotte. The property had seen better days. Instead of demolishing the building and starting over, with a little imagination and a lot of hard work, we transformed the building to create modern office space and replaced worn parking lots with green space and landscaping. For our efforts in turning an eyesore into an attractive property, we were awarded a “Certificate of Appreciation” from the City of Charlotte.
When we decided to open a second showroom and manufacturing facility in Dallas, Texas, our Texas folks took a not-so-sparkling warehouse in Farmer’s Branch, and turned their vision to make it over into beautiful, functional office space and an outstanding manufacturing facility into a reality.
We continued to grow, and after several years at Freedom Drive, our Charlotte people began a search for a new home. We found a large, underutilized property with great potential, one that we could makeover to include beautiful interior spaces that would showcase our skills and our products. We also took on a building project to double the space for our manufacturing and warehouse needs.
LEVEL®
LEVEL® is the third-party certification program for the furniture industry’s multi-attribute, sustainability standard. The ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard was created to deliver an open and holistic means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment.
Taking into account a product’s environmental impacts (materials selected, energy usage, etc.), health and wellness impacts, and a company’s social actions among numerous other impacts, LEVEL addresses how a product is sustainable from multiple perspectives.
Environamics is involved in community outreach programs on an annual basis and records of the activity are publicly available upon request.
