Sustainability Action Plan
What is the 9Wood Sustainability Action Plan?
The 9Wood Sustainability Action Plan is a practical roadmap guided by the AIA Materials Pledge and Common Materials Framework. Our Sustainability Action Plan organizes 9Wood’s work across five key impact areas: human health, climate health, ecosystem health, social health, and circularity. It reflects what we’re doing now, what we’re working on next, and how we’re turning values into action—without overpromising.
Human Health
Goal: Make our products healthier for the people that live and work around them.
Current Actions:
- Provide Health Product Declarations (HPDs) at the 1000ppm threshold for most products.
- Offer low-emitting materials compliant with CDPH Standard Method v1.2, using water-based finishes when project conditions allow.
Future Commitments:
- Expand third-party certifications related to material health (e.g., Declare labels or C2C Material Health Certificates).
- Increase product transparency for finishes and adhesives including proprietary ingredients and disclosure level.
- Improve staff training on health-related materials specs to better support customers’ IAQ goals.
Ecosystem Health
Goal: Support biodiversity and responsible resource extraction.
Current Actions:
- Longstanding FSC® certification (20+ years) with availability of FSC-certified products across hardwoods and veneers.
- PEFC™-certified options for regional species like Douglas fir and Hemlock.
Future Commitments:
- Prioritize sourcing from mills with strong environmental stewardship and forest management practices.
- Expand use of regionally sourced materials to reduce environmental impact.
- Collaborate with suppliers to better trace supply chains and prevent illegal logging.
Climate Health
Goal: Reduce embodied carbon and support low-carbon material choices.
Current Actions:
- Undergoing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to develop two Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)—one for panelized products and one for tiles, linears, and cubes.
- Offering wood, a renewable and carbon-sequestering material, as a finish and substrate.
Future Commitments:
- Publish product-specific EPDs by mid-2025 and educate design teams on carbon implications.
- Evaluate and reduce emissions associated with logistics, packaging, and manufacturing.
- Set embodied carbon reduction targets for 2030 and beyond.
Social Health and Equity
Goal: Promote equity, safe working conditions, and community resilience across the value chain.
Current Actions:
- Operate with a strong internal safety culture and employee ownership structure.
- Support vendor diversity and maintain long-term supplier relationships, including small and family-owned businesses.
Future Commitments:
- Formalize a vendor code of conduct addressing labor practices, DEI, and human rights.
- Increase transparency in procurement and traceability of raw materials.
- Support community development through local wood sourcing and manufacturing in Oregon.
Circularity
Goal: Minimize waste, design for disassembly, and promote material reuse.
Current Actions:
- Manufacture to-order products to reduce overproduction and minimize waste.
- Design modular systems that can be disassembled and reinstalled, supporting reuse and long lifecycle.
Future Commitments:
- Pilot a take-back program or disassembly guide for select ceiling systems.
- Identify opportunities to use reclaimed or recycled wood materials.
- Optimize product packaging to reduce single-use plastics and improve recyclability.