Can Formica Countertops be a Green Option?

When you think of all the different types of countertops on the market today Formica countertops would probably not be one of the choices that are considered to be green or environmentally friendly. For instance, there are recycled paper countertops, recycled plastic countertops and stones and glass countertops which are 100% renewable. Formica is made of laminate which is a man made material which is basically plastic or paper over plastic or wood. It doesn't seem, at first glance, that it is green at all. Sometimes, however, looks can be deceiving.

Formica is a brand name and the company itself is a good place to start when looking at its sustainability. According to the company's website, they make every effort to recycle both in the corporate offices as well as in their manufacturing areas. Some of the examples given are recycling all batteries, scrap material like laminate, hydraulic oils, pallets, packaging and even recycles some of those materials. For example, scrap laminate is used in product samples for display in showrooms. The company that makes Formica countertops also focuses on energy management in many powerful ways as well.

The Formica Corporation, who makes Formica countertops, has been recognized by LEED, which is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design group associated with the US Green Building Council for the work they have done in sustainability and their contributions to recycling and reusing their products.

Formica countertops have also been measured and rated by the Formica Corporation on the environmental impact they have from start to finish. These numbers and information is available when speaking with an official Formica dealer or at the Formica website. Formica has used this data and information to make a brand new series of Formica countertops known as the eSeries. It is totally made of recycled laminate. That alone makes it possible that yes, Formica countertops can be green.

That's not all, though! Formica has made a commitment to reduce their carbon emissions by 5% by 2012 and even further as the years pass. They are busy designing and implementing new systems to do this, such as closed loop press heating systems to conserve water, high efficiently motors and energy saving lighting. Plans are that all of these items will be installed in all Formica Corporation facilities.

The products used to make Formica countertops are also green whenever possible. For instance, the wood used in the manufacturing of these countertops is certified wood. Certified wood is wood that has been given a certificate stating it is involved in good, responsible and sustaining forestry practices.

As you can see from the above information, though at first thought, Formica isn't the greenest product on the market. That, however, couldn't be further from the truth. Formica Corporation is working every day, behind the scenes to offer green, sustainable, recycled and recyclable products to the public. From recycling batteries and light bulbs in their corporate office to offering a recycled type of laminate, the company has come far from its founding in 1912 as a maker of electrical parts.