Sustainability

Sustainability has become a way of life for many of today’s consumers. They make an effort to buy greener, healthier and more sustainable products from greener companies, as each purchase made has health, environmental, and social impacts.

As a company, Twin Cities Siding and Roofing chooses to work with manufacturers that have made aggressive strides to reduce their carbon footprint, in all operations, throughout their supply chain. It begins with the raw materials that are collected from the earth, to the manufacturing processes, the packaging, the use and ultimate disposal of the product, and it includes the transportation and distribution requirements throughout the lifecycle.

James Hardie

At James Hardie, sustainability is a defining characteristic of who they are and how they do business on a daily basis. Their commitment is reflected in all aspects of their operations, from beginning to end. Durability, sustainability and a factory-finished coating are just a few important factors in James Hardie’s commitment to green building practices. Did you know?

James Hardie has high quality standards for raw materials, and at least 75 percent of raw materials are sourced locally for the eight manufacturing facilities nationwide. As a result, there is a reduced environmental impact from transportation of materials.

James Hardie products are made from natural or sustainable raw materials including cement, sand, cellulose fiber and water. These raw materials are low in toxicity and there is very little waste created in the manufacturing process.

James Hardie products handle high heat, UV radiation and moisture exceptionally well. Durable fiber cement materials require fewer resources for replacement, and this can help reduce maintenance or repair costs over time.

Using factory-finished James Hardie siding and trim products with ColorPlus® Technology reduces jobsite paint waste and exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Green Builder Magazine gave James Hardie a Readers’ Choice Award in 2019 for “Most Sustainable Product”.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide.^[9] Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings and homes. Double LEED points are awarded when James Hardie is installed on a home due to the lack of waste and longevity of the building products.

“The single most important factor in green architecture is durability. If you want something to be green it has to last a long time. It has to handle water, heat and UV radiation. Fiber-cement siding handles all three exceptionally well.”
Joseph Lstiburek, BASC, MENG, PHD, PENG

Marvin Windows and Doors

One of our favorite Marvin tag lines is this – We make products able to withstand the power of the great outdoors, while preserving the natural resources from which they were made.

Marvin has a long history of product innovations, industry firsts and commitment to community. They take pride in the fact that their corporation is green-minded with recycling efforts and employee awareness. Marvin incorporates green components into their product packaging and their distribution process. Beyond that, being green is also about conserving energy—and Marvin Windows and Doors are energy efficient.

“We are always striving to be better, more efficient, and of course more sustainable. It’s a proud part of our culture and will continue to be for generations to come.” Susan Marvin, Past President Marvin Windows and Doors

Marvin is recognized for innovative products and uncompromising product performance standards. Here are just a few examples of their commitment to manufacturing green:

The Marvin manufacturing facility is in full compliance with the 1990 Clean Air Act and qualifies for the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) designation outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ninety-five percent of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) created in the Ultrex manufacturing process are destroyed.

Marvin recycles 800 tons of aluminum, 300 tons of cardboard, 100 tons of plastic and 90 tons of paper each year.

The insulated glass in Marvin products contains 15% – 33% recycled content.

Marvin reduces local energy consumption by utilizing their own generators during peak winter and summer days.

Marvin’s fleet of diesel trucks contain regulators to ensure that emissions are below required levels.

Marvin burns their own sawdust to help heat their manufacturing plants in the winter.

Marvin’s commitment to their community is evident in the local programs that they have either developed or participate in:

Regional Forest Education: A children’s program about the environment and forestry in which 4,000 seedlings are distributed to kids.

Community Emergency Management: Marvin employees share in this public-private emergency preparedness program.

School District Recycling: A public-private partnership with Warroad, MN, schools that helps promote recycling.

Solid Waste Reduction Partnership: Scrap wood from their manufacturing operations is used for boiler fuel to prevent landfill disposal.

Minnesota50—Voluntary Pollution Prevention: Marvin exceeded the goal to reduce releases and offsite transfers of 17 chemicals.

GAF Roofing

GAF prides itself on its commitment to sustainability in all aspects of its business. They make every effort to not only promote recycling, efficiencies, and material optimizations, but they use their industry leading roofing knowledge to educate the contractors they work with and their customers in these areas as well. Here are just a few ways that GAF has incorporated sustainability into its practices:

Recycling: Asphalt is America’s most-recycled material. Recycled asphalt from a roof replacement can be used to build new roads across the country, and in 2015 alone, 1.9 trillion tons of asphalt shingles removed from roofs were used for that exact purpose. For this reason, GAF created the Certified Green Roofer^™ program, which helps provide specialized recycling training to contractors.
Solar Energy: GAF believes that every roof has the potential to be a source for energy generation. That’s why they empower their contractors and homeowners to consider installing integrated rooftop solar solutions on any replacement or new roof.
Warranties- GAF Warranties can be found here, and downloaded for anyone needing this information: GAF Warranties

Engineered Stone

Long-lasting, durable, maintenance-free building materials are often as eco-friendly as it gets. And while natural stone would seem to fit the bill, it’s important to keep in mind that stone quarrying has both aesthetic and environmental impacts on the earth, including erosion. It can also require a good deal more energy to transport to job sites because of its weight. Plus, as a natural product, it’s also a finite resource.

As a result, engineered stone can provide an eco-friendly building alternative. For more than half a century, Coronado Stone has produced premium engineered stone veneers. Engineered stone veneers are designed to not only beautify spaces but also take care of our shared environment. To that end, here are just a few of the ways that they accomplish this mission:

Coronado Stone has stone veneer products that look like natural stone yet weigh as little as eight to 12 pounds per square foot.

Coronado Stone uses materials with recycled content, such that the sum of post-consumer recycled content plus one-half of the pre-consumer content constitutes at least 20% of the total value of the materials. Increased demand for building products that incorporate recycled content materials reduces the impact resulting from extraction and processing of virgin materials.

Coronado Stone is a proud member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Builders using Coronado Stone can earn LEED® credits for indoor air quality and recycled content.

Coronado Stone has 7 strategically placed manufacturing facilities located in the U.S. and Canada. The use of building materials that have been extracted and manufactured regionally supports the use of indigenous resources and reduces the environmental impact resulting from transportation.

TimberTech Decks

On Earth Day 2019, TimberTech opened a new 100,000+ square foot recycling plant that transforms shampoo bottles, milk jugs, plastic wrap and more into their signature composite decking material. In its first full season of operation alone, TimberTech is expected to recycle 55 million pounds of plastic. In addition, TimberTech’s Azek Pavers are made from 95% recycled materials, and the core of all composite PRO and EDGE deck boards is made with 100% recycled resin. They are committed to doubling their recycled inputs for all capped polymer materials by 2020.

Manufacturing Efficiencies: TimberTech’s newest facility features energy-efficient systems for power, heating/cooling, and lighting. All manufacturing plants employ a unique, closed-loop water filtration system that reuses and recycles up to 96% of the water that their largest facilities use each year.

Environmental Impact: More than one million trees have not been cut down because homeowners chose TimberTech decking over wood. In addition, every 500 square feet of pavers diverts 250 truck tires and 7,500 plastic containers from our landfills and waterways.

Getting Scrappy: Across the company, TimberTech diverted roughly 290 million pounds of waste and scrap from landfills in 2019. They also re-use 98% of internal scrap and are 97% landfill-free.

So, there it is in a nutshell, why we believe in these products, and why we chose these companies to partner with. Sustainable products protect the environment over their whole life cycle, from the extraction of raw material until their final disposal. And if we are lucky, such products will help us build a better world for future generations.