Indoor Air Quality has become a primary consideration for architects, designers and, most importantly, occupants of renovated and newly constructed spaces.   And it is about time.  Humans spend roughly 90% of their lives indoors.  There are many products around us that emit harmful VOC’s, or Volatile Organic Compounds.   These toxins can be detrimental to human health, yet they are still found in many new products, from furniture to fabrics.

 

One such VOC is formaldehyde.  Dwyer is committed to manufacturing products that reduce formaldehyde levels by using smart, healthy materials.  GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification℠  serves as third-party verification that our products contain extremely low levels of these toxins.

One of the founding principles of sustainability is the reduction of resource consumption.   Though the mining and processing of virgin materials is still a necessary and common practice, our industry has easy access to a wide variety of existing materials, able to be recycled,  re-purposed and re-used for new products. 

 

Steel is the most recycled material in the world. So how better to promote material reuse than focusing our product on something with high recycled content.  Our Powder-coated Steel and Stainless Steel casework contain, on average, 65% recycled content, while our Aluminum casework contains up to 100% recycled content materials.

 

While laminate may not be the first product that comes to mind when thinking of sustainability, our laminate cores actually contain anywhere from 90-100% post-consumer recycled content.  Rather than sourcing virgin wood products to manufacture cabinets, we choose to re-use that which already exists.

New construction and renovations contribute an estimated 30% of the waste going to landfills each year.  Much of that waste can be attributed to building products such as millwork.  By making durable, modular building products, we can lengthen their lifecycle and remove them from the waste stream. 

 

For over 85 years, we have focused on the inherent durability of our products.  Our cabinets perform well for extended periods even in the toughest conditions.  We believe the choices we make today impact the future performance of our organization and our environment.