Home Depot steps up environmental policies
Home Depot will not accept wood products from the Amazon or Congo basins, unless they are Forest Stewardship Council certified.
The company announced the updated policy in its 2017 Responsibility Report and is part of an effort to increase protection of High Conservation Value Forests and tropical Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs).
The company said that less than 1% Home Depot’s existing wood products come from the Amazon and Congo basins and it has given preference to FSC certified wood products since 1999.
The Responsibility Report also unveils new chemical oversight practices in five product categories, including paint, carpet, vinyl and laminate flooring, and insulation.
The chemical strategy includes commitments to increase the assortment of products that have transparency of product ingredients and third-party certification of chemical ingredients. Additionally, the company is committed to working with suppliers to improve chemicals in categories with the greatest potential impact to indoor air quality, and will conduct annual reviews of product categories to track progress and drive innovation.
The company partners with the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council, Healthy Building Network and Cradle to Cradle for guidance on priority chemicals and innovations.
"We recognize the role we play in the value chain for home improvement products, especially lumber and manufactured goods," Ron Jarvis, Home Depot vice president of environmental innovation, said in a statement issued by the retailer. "We believe that better transparency is the key to retailers and consumers making better purchasing decisions that will improve our industry's long-term environmental impact."
Home Depot operates 2,283 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Mexico.
The retailer is also expanding its Eco Options program that identifies products that have less of an impact on the environment than standard products, established in 2007, to include the third-party certification programs Cradle to Cradle Certified and Greenguard Gold.