Watch the Video on Green Cabinets (KCMA)
HOST: Tell me about the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers' Association. What is it? What do you do?
REP: Well, we're the national trade association for manufacturers of kitchen cabinets, bath vanities, and cabinetry for other rooms. We're over fifty-years-old. We're located in virtually every state. And actually right now, we're enjoying the highest membership. We have around four-hundred-and-twenty members. And so the association's doing well.
HOST: As a builder, how do you guys help me be green?
REP: Well, actually, we've been aware of green for many years. (HOST: Right.) And we feel we have a great product. It's wood. It's renewable. It's recyclable -- and when the homebuilders first began to consider the idea of drawing up green guidelines -- (HOST: Right.), we were involved in that process and encouraged it. And that has been completed now. And as you know, they're rolling out the green guidelines (HOST: Right.) as we -- as we speak.
And to compliment that, we -- our organization was motivated not only by that, but by the desire to display to all of our customers, to all of our vendors, to the rest of the external public that we have a great story to tell, and that we do things that are green. So we developed this program which has five major elements. And in order to qualify for the Environmental Stewardship Program, you have to earn points. And it's not an easy thing. It's a third-party --
HOST: Tell me the green room building for the cabinetry.
REP: Exactly. It gives the builders and remodelers something that they can go to, companies that will allow them to earn points, and it gives them the credibility that they're searching for within their clients. So, that's essentially what it is, and we think it's different because it's more than just product controls or requirements, it's process, as well. So that the companies themselves and their manufacturing process must employ recycling, process management, energy policies, have a written, environmental-stewardship program management system of their own, which is third-party-verified. Then, we verify what they're doing. So, it's a very credible program.
HOST: Now how do I find out who's a member of KCMA and who's a part of the Environmental-Stewardship Certification Program?
REP: We -- I'm glad you asked -- Go to our website -- GreenCabinetSource dot org. We list all the companies which are kept up-to-date, and anyone that goes there then can link to the company, go to their site and see exactly what products they might be interested in, they can compare products from different manufacturers. We now have ninety manufacturers that are in the program, which is very exciting because it's just under two years that we've been doing this, and we're just real excited. It's just caught on. Companies really want to display what they're doing, and they're proud of their accomplishments, and they're very supportive.
HOST: Organizations like this help us builders be a little greener.
REP: Hopefully. Yeah, we're working together just like part of the supply-chain concept that you builders want to be green, they need to know where they can get the green products they need. Here's a source. We will help them with that. And in the same measure, we have other clients, other customers, and we will be helping them also understand that we have a very good environmental story to tell -- Renewable resource, recycleable, energy-efficient -- It's just a really great environmental story. And then our companies themselves are doing things within their processes that would be models for sound management, sound process, and so we're trying to get that out. We have a process now that helps. It gives a benchmark for other companies to look for. It's a work-in-progress. We have over forty years' experience standards. We do a performance standard and so we feel we have the experience and the credibility to take this even further. And that's what we hope to do. And, of course, working with the builders as we define new materials, new needs, and we'll be there.
HOST: Well, as a builder, we really appreciate it.
REP: Well, thank you. We're all looking forward for a little bit better times, but I think we have something that as things -- as we come out of this current soft period --
HOST It's got to go up.
REP: It's the future. The future's up.
HOST: Is that what you're telling me?
REP: Yeah, right. Right. [END]
Watch the Video on Green Cabinets (KCMA)
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