From the moment we began producing our first commercial grade flooring in July of 2011, Virtu has earned the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for Chain of Custody processing. As you may know, FSC is the only program recognized by the USGBC to qualify for LEED points. We understand clearly that the decisions and practices we engage in today will have a profound impact on the overall health and quality of tomorrow's timberlands.
Many Virtu flooring products will proudly wear the FSC certification label as your assurance that Virtu Wide Plank Flooring meets some of the most stringent environmental guidelines in the industry. Virtu is committed to ensuring that the quantity and quality of our nation’s wood resources will improve over time, which is why Virtu vigorously promotes responsible efforts to achieve the fastest practical application of environmentally conscious permanent forest management initiatives.
Virtu actively evaluates each new credible certification program as it is developed, so that we can expand our offering of certified forest products. Our commitment to producing an extensive selection of domestic hardwoods means that we actively support and abide by the principles of the Lacey Act as passed by the U.S. Congress, which protects the world's forests against illegal logging. We believe the U.S. forests are among the best managed forests in the world.
Virtu is proud to encourage the use of wood as an environmentally acceptable and renewable material and is constantly seeking beneficial ways to reduce wood waste and to utilize resources for maximized sustainability. For example, our use of an efficiently engineered top layer enables the resource of clear lumber to be “stretched” across 4 times the square footage of solid wood, conserving the rarest of lumber resources.
To further conserve this precious grade of lumber from being used indiscriminately, Virtu uses a lower grade lumber for the unseen back. For strength and stability, Virtu specifies the use of red maple and oak in the core layer. This is both functional and environmental, as maple and oak are both rigid and plentiful in North American forests.
In addition, Virtu products meet the following LEED points qualifications:
LEED Residential
within 500 miles of the installation – 1/2 point for each
LEED Commercial
Virtu has made it a business principle to give preference to suppliers of all domestic wood products from sources providing information on responsible silviculture and logging practices, and which are operating within the forestry laws and regulatory bodies of the United States. In addition, we firmly believe that the U.S. timber industry has a responsibility to its customers, suppliers and employees to base its operational activities on properly managed forestry practices and guidelines.
This also holds true for the operation of all Virtu facilities. Virtu management makes a daily commitment to operate in an environmentally conscious manner. Our green task force focuses on recycling all of our internal wood and office waste.
Sustainability and conservation of our timberlands are the virtues upon which we have built our business. It is our commitment. It is our future. It is a source of our belief in the future.
