A forward-thinking company shows that wood-based manufacturing and green living can go hand-in-hand.
Kathy Haines, owner of Designers Expo, is noticing a growing relationship between her clients and the things they buy when it’s time to update the home. Knowing a product means more than knowing a brand name.
“People are interested in how materials are produced, where they come from, and what kind of an impact they have,” Haines says.
If customers are courting which products would look best in their homes, then Mirage Hardwood Floors is the belle of the home improvement ball.
In partnership with manufacturer Boa-Franc, this Canada-based company is a role model for sustainable development in the flooring industry.
Mirage uses 95 percent of every tree it cuts. Leftover scraps are compressed into fiberboard and particleboard, sold as kindling and bedding for farm animals, or used to fuel boilers that dry the wood. Even the bark is repurposed as mulch. Nothing goes to waste. Stacking sticks, packaging material, glue drums, and old office computers—it all gets reused or recycled.
“They recycle everything. And you still get a superior-quality product without compromising the environment,” Haines says.
Mirage has been recognized for the excellence of its floors multiple times in the past decade. It is an eight-time winner in retail surveys that identify outstanding floor coverings. Besides starting with the finest raw materials to be found in North America, Mirage stays at the cutting edge of the industry in two notable ways: first, by using nanotechnology to create a long-lasting finish that is hypoallergenic and formaldehyde-free; second, by offering customers Mirage Lock flooring, whereby floorboards interlock with one another.
“No nails, no staples, no glue!
With an estimated 1,500 clients, a week comes the obligation of acquiring nature’s resources in a responsible way.
“Recognizing that wood is the only renewable construction material, Mirage makes sure that where mature trees are cut, saplings will later grow.
The company has joined the fight against illegal logging through its support of the Lacey Act and has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Mrcredits for efficient production. Mirage has won the Tree Foundation of Canada’s Eterne Award for its environmental stewardship.
“More designers and builders are opting for greener products,” says Haines, “and I love the fact that I can provide them with something like this. It’s good for the earth, for the people who handle it, and most importantly, for the people who are going to be living with it.”