Our Practices
With Vendors
We are particular about our suppliers and demand they share our sense of environmental concern. We review and monitor vendors’ operations through regular dialogue, on-site visits, and independent certification of their operations and standards. We recognize vendors that use third-party certification agencies dedicated to verifying environmentally sound business practices. Today at least 95% of our panels and 85% of our lumber comes from vendors that are third-party certified, and that number continues to grow.
Among the certification programs we recognize are the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the International Standards Organization (ISO 14001), the Pan-European Forest Certification (PEFC), and other qualified organizations devoted to the sustainability of the world’s forests, wildlife, and watersheds. We do not favor or endorse one program over another; each has its strengths and place.
In our Operations
We promote value engineering to add value and minimize waste. Our finger-joint, truss, wall panel and industrial operations allow us to utilize small pieces of wood – which might otherwise have been waste – to manufacture usable dimension lumber. We promote and manufacture engineered products such as I-joists, trusses, finger-jointed studs, oriented strand board (OSB) and products made from this technology, as well as composite products. We are active recyclers and discourage vendors from “over-packaging” the products we purchase from them.
Universal’s business is built on our environmentally-sound “Whole Log Model.” We minimize waste by using all parts of a canted log for our four markets: appearance grade for interior and exterior applications like molding and fencing (DIY/retail); stronger tensile grades for engineered components (site-built construction and manufactured housing); standard grades for trusses and framing lumber (manufactured housing and site-built construction); and lower grades as well as downfall from other operations for crates, packaging and other components (industrial).
We may be the only lumber supplier to offer total fiber utilization. It’s just one example of Universal’s ability to make a strong connection between smart business and smart environmental policy, and to find opportunity in our commitment to the environment.