Green Intent

It has been said that when wood is managed in a responsible manner, it is nature's most infinite, sustainable, consuming material. MLI is dedicated to the idea of progressive business practices that minimize our impact on the environment.  By offering premium quality products that have been harvested from forests, which meet stringent environmental standards, we provide our customers the means to create unique custom products while respecting the environment. Furthermore, we also offer environmentally friendly inks to help enhance our products.

Objective

To reduce impacts on the environment and human health through changing purchasing behavior and to: eliminate unnecessary purchasing; increase staff awareness; reduce its impact on the environment; reduce its impact on human health; and encourage the sustainable use of resources. How do you validate if a company is certified? Click here: www.fsc-info.org . What are MLI's services? Look what you can do GREEN today! http://www.mlicorp.com/services.asp

Glossary

Energy Efficient

Products or facilities use less energy than typical products or facilities to provide a given energy service (heating, lighting...) or level activity.

Environmentally preferred or green

Products and services that have less effect on human health and the environment than competing products and services that serve the same purpose. The comparison may consider the source of raw materials, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, potential for reuse and recycling, operation, maintenance or disposal of the product.

Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (greenhouse gasses) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, earth's average temperature would not be warm enough for humans to live. Global warming is the result of a build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and could result in serious environmental damage. Greenhouse gases are produced from the burning of fossil fuels, land clearing, emissions from landfills and other sources, including the manufacture, use and disposal of products. This concept is often debated.

Greenhouse Friendly

Products that create less greenhouse gas emissions at one or more stages of their lifecycle than competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

Post Consumer

Is material generated by households or by commercial, industrial and institutional facilities in their role as end users of the product, which can no longer be used for its intended purpose. This includes returns of the material from the distribution chain.

Pre Consumer

Is material diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process. Excluded is the re-utilisation of materials such as rework, regrind or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process that generated it.

Practicable

Means satisfactory in performance and available at a reasonable cost.

Recycled Material

Are those that have been reprocessed from recovered (reclaimed) material by means of a manufacturing process and made into a final product or into a component for incorporation into a product.

Recycled Content Products

Are made from materials that have been recovered, processed and used as a raw material for the manufacture of a useful new product through commercial process. These products will contain a specified percentage of material that would otherwise been disposed of as waste.

Re-manufacture

Means to renew or restore a used product into its original form or into a useful new product through a commercial process.

Sustainable use of resources

Use that meets the present needs of the user while also taking into account external and future costs, including costs to the environment, human health and depletion of resources.

Value for Money

Is the identification and inclusion of all direct and indirect costs associated with a particular product or material. This includes the initial cost of purchase, length of warranty, cost of operating the product, anticipated maintenance and repair, and the direct and indirect costs (for financial return) associated with the disposal or removal of the product at the end of its useful life.

Guidelines

Purchasing Goals

Wherever possible, MLI employees and contractors will pursue the following goals and adhere to the specified principles when purchasing products, material and services.

Minimum unnecessary purchasing

Purchases shall only be made once it has been determined that the product or service is necessary.

Minimum Waste

Purchasing decisions shall be made in the context of the waste hierarchy to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle.

Minimum Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Purchase energy efficient products and materials by checking that the energy rating and efficiency features are the best available for the cost over the lifetime of the product. Purchase renewable energy and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Purchase goods that have not been transported long distances

Minimum Habitat Destruction

Purchase paper and wood products obtained from recycled, plantation, salvaged or renewable resources. Purchase green cleaning products that don't result in discharges of toxic chemicals to waterways

Minimum toxicity

Purchase materials and products that are free of toxic or polluting materials. Purchase products and materials that will not release toxic substances that can affect human health and pollute water, land or air at any stage of the life cycle

Maximum water efficiency

Purchase products that conserve water or use water in an efficient way.

Minimum Soil Degradation

Purchase products, materials and services that will not degrade or pollute the soil, or result in erosion through their use.

Value For Money

Whenever possible Purchasing decisions will be made on the basis of value for money, rather than just the cheapest up-front purchase price. The employees must detail the purchasing environmentally preferred products. Value for money considerations include:

Actions

To achieve the objectives MLI establishes a Green Purchasing Team; review environmental, purchasing and quality criteria and develop a program to support the application of this policy; review purchasing specifications, tender documentation, consultants briefs and contracts for compliance with this policy; request its contractors and consultants to comply with this policy; establish a staff education program for the implementation of this policy; ensure that staff have access to information on the environmentally preferred products; track and report on the implementation of this policy; and actively promote environmental purchasing to the community.

Good Corporate Citizenship

MLI will endeavour to purchase products and materials from organizations or individuals that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and equality. For example preference will be given to a supplier who can demonstrate one or more of the following: has an accredited environment management system has a documented waste reduction strategy meets the relevant standards for a particular product or service is listed in a accredited website, has a good track record for quality and environmental performance is licensed under an independent eco-labeling system.