This Year's Favorite Cabinet Style is Green

Today’s consumers and homeowners are all about living a green lifestyle – one that is aligned with environmental responsibility and sustainability. This is a lifestyle that extends beyond the simple green choices like buying organic produce and recycling. People are looking for opportunities that have a positive impact on the environment. And that’s why more and more of them are looking for the KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP) Seal on their cabinets.

The KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program is committed to ensuring that cabinet manufacturing companies are aligned with Green best practices for organizations. The National Green Building Standards (NGBS), an ANSI standard, is the leading green residential building rating system in the United States. NGBS certification ensures that residences are independently verified by a third party for compliance with a comprehensive green standard. KCMA ESP certification is the only program referenced in the NGBS for certification of green cabinetry. Builders using KCMA ESP certified cabinetry can earn builder points towards their
NGBS comprehensive certification.

So, what does this mean? Cabinet companies looking to earn the KCMA ESP Seal can earn points towards certification in the following ways:

Commitment to Environmental Quality

Any cabinet manufacturer who is looking to be KCMA ESP Certified needs to demonstrate they have a strong commitment to environmental quality, this means having a written environmental policy in place. Companies that have an Environmental Management System and review the policies and practices of key vendors to ensure that any organization they work with has a similar commitment to environmental responsibility can earn additional points towards KCMA ESP Certification.

Reducing their Carbon Footprint

A cabinet manufacturer can earn points by demonstrating that the panel’s carbon store offsets its cradle-to-gate carbon footprint as determined in kg-CO2 equivalents of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Producing Alternative Energy

Cabinet manufacturers can earn points towards certification by demonstrating that they produce alternative energy. To earn these alternative energy points, they need to use internal or external process by-products to generate alternate energy services such as electricity, steam, etc.

Improving Air Quality

Cabinet companies can show they are committed to helping ensure the air quality within homes is safe and non-toxic, by utilizing an exempt resin system and complying with federal standards for formaldehyde emissions.


The KCMA ESP Seals means a green, sustainable, responsible and healthy home

The KCMA ESP Certification goes beyond the standard commitment to environmental quality. It ensures that in every aspect of a business, a cabinet manufacturer is impacting the environment positively, and they are dedicated to providing safe, quality, green products for consumers and homeowners.
When a company is KCMA ESP Certified, they have proven their dedication in areas of Green, Sustainability, Responsibility and Healthy Home – all with one Seal.
To learn more about the KCMA ESP Certification program, visit our
website: http://kcma.org/certifications/environmental-stewardship