Sure we all know the basics in energy and water conservation now a days; brushing your teeth with the water off, shorter showers, and energy saving water fixtures. Here at Flow we take sustainability into consideration with all our sales, starting with eco-friendly manufacturers. In this blog, you’ll hear more from our manufacturers and their mission on being green.
Stone Forest: “Takes its lead from nature’s blueprint. Classic and contemporary designs for the bath and kitchen are sculpted from natural materials including stone, bronze, copper, iron, and hardwoods, without negatively impacting the
environment. The product line includes bronze sinks that are 100% recycled

materials. “As an avid outdoorsman, I founded Stone Forest out of my passion and respect for nature,” says Stone Forest founder Michael Zimber. “As a result,
protecting the environment, that is essentially providing me with amazing designs and products, is of utmost importance to me.” Bring the natural beauty of the outdoors into your home or hospitality design, and make a statement in a growing green-conscious design and building community.”
Native Trails: “sustainability is a main priority across the product offering. Artisans in Mexico hand craft the copper products ranging from vessel sinks and tubs, to a variety of kitchen sinks. Before they can shape and hammer each piece, they start with 100% recycled copper. By working with recycled copper, NT is able to use 85% less energy than newly

mined copper; not to mention it saves stripping of the environment. Similarly, Native Stone utilizes jute, a naturally renewable vegetable fiber, to create lighter, more durable, concrete products. Native Stone’s mix of natural components allows the artisans in Vietnam to generate less waste, and the production uses less energy than traditional concrete. Finally, California woodworkers
take old barn wood and wine barrels, items that otherwise would end up in the landfill, and turn them into luxury bathroom vanities. Rather than wasting beautiful French oak used in the wine process, craftsmen treat and shape the staves creating unique vanities with a history for the next owner to proudly share. Sustainability is more than a trend, and Native Trails hopes to continue to support this lifestyle as well as artisans worldwide in an effort to show beautiful products can be obtained without damaging our planet.

VOLA: "Protecting water and wellness has been a part of their DNA for half a century. Perhaps it has something to do with their Danish heritage. In Denmark, respecting and protecting the environment is second nature. Living a mindful life is more important than following any trends, and this can be seen in their mission NOT to design for the sake of designing. They only release new products when they feel there is a need and when every detail is right. 100% of the natural waste they produce is recovered and recycled – to produce new brass and stainless steel cylinders that can be reused for new products. Hastings Tile & Bath is enormously proud to represent VOLA in North America; they are the exclusive importers and distributors of this iconic brand
The Furniture Guild:“ We source all of our product locally to help reduce our carbon footprint. In addition, we only use formaldehyde free, Greengaurd certified finishes for indoor air quality. Lastly, The Furniture Guild utilizes PUREBond poplar core plywood, a soy based, formaldehyde free plywood that is safer and more environmentally friendly than other types of plywood on the market.”
Kast: “our environmentally conscious team is committed to continually developing our products

in a way that helps to minimize the impact our production process has on the environment.
From locally sourced raw materials and reusable moulds, to a closed-loop water filtration system that we use for cleaning our equipment, we are always looking for ways to improve our environmental impact. All our basins are made to order which helps to reduce waste as we do not cast unnecessarily. We also use the excess concrete mix from the basins to produce our colour samples further minimizing any wastage.
Infinity Drain: “ products are manufactured in Amityville, New York, USA using domestic raw materials: Stainless steel from USA mills and PVC and ABS components from local suppliers. This allows us to keep our carbon footprint small and maintain consistent inventory levels. Our stainless steel starts with a minimum of 85% recycled material, and we recycle all stainless steel scrap that
remains post-manufacturing. We’ve also implemented technological advancements in our plating process by using e-coating for our stainless steel components in Matte Black, Satin Bronze, and Oil Rubbed Bronze. E-coating is a water-based process that has minimal waste and lower volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions than powder coating. Infinity Drain’s full stainability report will be completed by the end of 2021.
Samuel Heath “At Samuel Heath, we are proud to support environmental protection with our brassware manufacturing and recycling processes. Our brassware is crafted from quality European brass, which has significant environmental and economic advantages. This is due to its pure copper and zinc composition which can be recycled and re-used an infinite number of times without losing its chemical or physical properties. We also choose to recycle any by-products of our brassware for minimal wastage and this process yields a smaller carbon footprint in comparison to aluminum or steel. Our attention to quality and environmental responsibility is under our total control at our Birmingham factory, where all of our manufacturing processes take place. From holding stock of our own brass rods which are machined, polished and plated all under the same roof, to our new zero plastic and fully recyclable packaging which is being rolled out across our collections.
Here, Craftsmanship and integrity have been our core principles since our inception in 1820, and they remain so to this day.

California Faucets: We produce the largest selection of decorative Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) finishes in the world. Constituting more than a half of our finishing options, PVD produces no toxic or ozone-depleting chemicals. In the manufacturing process for PVD, no hazardous waste is emitted into our air or water supply. Most recently, we made an investment in tri-valent chrome plating which is less toxic and more environmentally friendly than a traditional hex-valent finishing process.

MTI: “ “Green” means environmental responsibility and sustainability. Accordingly, in both the administrative and manufacturing areas, MTI’s commitment is evidenced in the policies and practices it has in place.
MTI recycles test-table water. Over 40% of the materials used in the manufacturing of MTI acrylic products, such as soaking tubs and shower bases, is post-industrial recycled material. The binding agents used for MTI acrylic products are formulated using recyclable and/or renewable raw materials. Approximately 70% of the material used in the manufacturing of MTI Engineered Solid Stone® (ESS) products is organic, including minerals mined from the earth. ESS® products utilize a “Green” resin of combined renewable bio-derived and / or recycled content. MTI recycles small granules from the manufacturing process of its Engineered Solid Stone products. The ESS granules are mixed with resin to use in the bonding process of the inner and outer shells of MTI acrylic freestanding tubs, thereby reducing waste, resin consumption and resin cost. MTI uses the newest chemicals that offer the lowest emissions. MTI uses only 100% US-certified legal, sustainable teak lumber. The teak lumber used in MTI products is imported by reputable suppliers who meet and exceed all federal regulations.. All premium teak lumber used by MTI is harvested from responsibly managed forests and is not endangering or depleting the rain forests of the world. MTI’s wood finishing process uses protective coatings with low-VOC (Volatile Organic Chemical) and low-HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants).”
Gessi: “For our activities, we only use energy produced from renewable sources, also using one of the most innovative and advanced solar roof generation systems. We implemented an Integrated Quality and Environmental Management System that governs the entire business complex and is dedicated to its continuous improvement. The choice of using 100% green energy by a verifiable and certified process of production and purchasing makes us a TOTAL GREEN company, with total CO2abatement
Icera: “During the 1990’s, with increasing awareness of environmental threats and the growing shortage of water supply in California and nationwide, we at Icera embraced technological innovation to develop toilets that could use little water, yet still deliver high-performance flushing. Toilet flushing comprises about 1/3 of all household water consumption, making it an important area for conservation. In 2005, we introduced the Quattro flushing system, which could flush 1.28 gpf while the industry average was still 3.5 gallons per flush or higher. We are proud to be one of the earliest partners with the EPA WaterSense program. Icera has a reputation for excellence in toilets with performance flushing. The EcoQuattro® flushing system is independently flush tested to 1000 grams MAP (miso) across the product line, in an industry first. Icera now offers 1.0 gpf “Ultra High Efficiency” toilets, for the ultimate in conservation.”

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