The end result in all environmental pursuits should be to meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Spec began looking for meaningful ways to implement a sustainable program in earnest close to 3 years ago.

At the end of our investigation, Spec came to the conclusion that aligning with BIFMA and their Sustainability Standard provided us with the tools and administrative controls to minimize our environmental footprint and take the next steps towards sustainability.

BIFMA has developed a certification program called level which is expected to be the benchmark standard for business and institutional furniture - like LEED is for buildings. level addresses all three aspects of sustainability (environmental, economic and social) and includes criteria for evaluating materials, energy and atmosphere, human and ecosystem health, and social responsibility. By adopting these voluntary standards, we have the expectation that Spec will be a leader in our industry and provide customers with products that are certified Sustainable under the BIFMA level™ program.

Commitment

Continuously improving environmental performance through:

• the use of recycling and recycled products
• minimizing waste and encouraging the use of bio-degradable products
• efficiently using water, energy and transportation
• using materials from sustainable and renewable resources
• minimizing the use of solvents and other harmful materials
• preserving the environment in and around our facilities and within our community
• Compliance with environmental legislation as a minimum level of performance.
• The education and training of our employees in environmental issues and the environmental effects of their activities.
• Monitoring our progress and reviewing our environmental performance on a regular basis.
• Encouraging our customers and suppliers to use products and services in an environmentally-sensitive way

Strategies

We will reduce our overall environmental footprint by 20% by the end of 2010. To achieve this, we have committed to the following goals:

• Reduce our natural gas, water and electricity usage 25%. Completion date – 2010.
• Reduce the amount of our fabric waste by 50%. Completion date – 2009
• Reduce the amount of our in-house upholstery foam waste so that 0% reaches land fill. Completion date - 2009.
• Ensure that the local customer has access to less wasteful shipping methods. Completion date - 2008.
• Ensure that 100% of our cardboard waste reaches a recycling centre. Completion date 2009.
• Convert all finishing processes to 100% water based products. Completion date 2010.
• BioFoam™: Ensure all foam used by Spec contains a minimum of 20% bio-based fill. Completion date 2010.
• Implement education and training for all Spec employees for recycling, and eco-friendly activities.
• Complete emission testing compliance for all products by 2010.