Formica Corporation Announces New Sustainability Goals, Targets Net Carbon Neutrality by 2030

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, August 3rd, 2021 — At a time when 98 % of designers  say their clients are placing a greater importance on environmentally friendly countertop materials, consumers can turn to Formica® Brand surfaces with renewed confidence as the company announces a suite of new sustainability initiatives, including a goal to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030.

“Consumers are seeking surfacing options that are better for the planet, and we are laying out a clear and aggressive action plan to meet their expectations,” said Mitch Quint, president of Formica Corporation North America. “We look forward to providing updates on our progress as we continue to explore opportunities to increase the efficiency of our processes.”

While Formica Corporation has always prioritized sustainable practices, the company’s 2019 acquisition by Netherlands-based Broadview Holdings helped accelerate its progress. Broadview is a sustainability leader in the decorative materials market and has provided the tools and technology to expedite Formica Corporation’s path toward carbon neutrality.

As part of its goal to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, Formica Corporation aims for a midpoint benchmark of a 25 % reduction of CO2 emissions and 10 % reduction in primary energy demand by 2026. In addition, the company will pursue a 5 % reduction of its water footprint in the next five years.

Alongside its goal to achieve net carbon neutrality, Formica Corporation has pledged to publish its environmental impact data every year, along with its targets and initiatives for the coming year. The 2021 Sustainability Position Paper—as well as information about third-party product certifications, sample recycling programs and laminates made from recycled materials—can be viewed at www.formica.com/en-ca/campaigns/sustainability. 

To learn more about Formica Corporation’s path toward net carbon neutrality, watch this short video.

Formica Canada takes action 

In Canada, Formica has also implemented several sustainability initiatives in transportation, production, natural gas use, hardware procurement, recycling and materials use. 

Transportation 
For over a year, Formica Canada has persued transportation efficiencies to reduce consumption of packaging materials, pallets and gasoline, as well as wear on transport trucks. Moreover, laminate sheets that cannot be sold due to imperfections are used for pallet wrapping or cut into smaller sizes and resold whenever possible.

Sherbrooke University partnership
Formica Canada is working with the Sherbrooke University on initiatives to reduce the amount of natural gas used in the plant's presses by recycling material that are going to the landfill site at the moment.

Computer equipment
Formica Canada buys 98 % of its computer equipment from local suppliers, recycles its used equipment through specialized partners and sends its used ink cartridges to the Mira Foundation.
 
Materials
Formica Canada recycles most of its water to support its plant’s production. Over 15 % of the kraft paper the company uses is recycled paper entirely derived from the regional market. The raw materials it uses – melamine and phenolic resin – are also sourced 100 % in Quebec.

Green team
To continue to improve its practices and mobilize its employees, Formica has also set up the Green team, which aims to help find opportunities for green improvement initiatives for the entire business from field sales to office people. 

“We are very proud of Formica Corporation’s commitment and of all the measures we’ve implemented over the past few years at our Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu plant. We’ll continue to review our practices to constantly improve for the benefit of the environment,” says Christelle Locat-Rainville, Marketing Director at Formica Canada.

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¹This study was conducted by Wakefield Research on behalf of Formica Corporation among 250 U.S. interior designers, both residential and commercial, between March 22 and March 30, 2021.