UNICOR's Office Furniture Group (OFG) creates responsive and flexible business solutions in balance with the Government's mandate to utilize sustainable and energy-efficient products and processes. We incorporate sustainable practices throughout every phase, from materials acquisition and manufacturing, to the packaging and ultimate shipment of your order.
Our environmentally-savvy practices start with our raw materials and include the use of:
- Environmentally safe water-based finishes and glues
- Powder-coated metal components
- Laminates using 20 percent post-industrial recycled materials
- 100 percent recyclable foam cushioning and plastics in our seating
- 75 - 85 percent recycled steel components
- Up to 100 percent recycled fiber content in our fabrics/materials
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified lumber suppliers
- Energy-saving desk and task lighting options
In addition, OFG products are certified by SCS Global Services as meeting the ANSI/BIFMA Furniture Emissions Standard for Indoor Air Quality. Our design professionals and space planners will even help secure LEED points.
With an eye to the future, UNICOR OFG will further enhance its manufacturing processes through ANSI/BIFMA e3 Furniture Sustainability Standard level certification. This multi-attribute standard addresses material usage, energy and atmospheric influence, human/ecosystem health, as well as social responsibility factors - all of which impact manufacturing sustainability and overall product value to you.
LEVEL® has been created to deliver the most open and transparent means of evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment. It is the third-party certification program for the furniture industry’s multi-attribute, sustainability standard. Considering a company’s social actions, energy usage, material selection and human and ecosystem health impacts, LEVEL verifies how a product has met the ANSI/BIFMA e3 furniture Sustainability Standard from multiple perspectives. The standard provides direction to manufacturers in the areas of materials, energy and atmosphere, human and ecosystem health, and corporate social responsibility. The LEVEL certification is based on an audit of the corporation, the manufacturing site, and the specific products. UNICOR’s products are LEVEL 2 certified. UNICOR used the following methods for its product grouping approach for LEVEL certification:
The combination of base product and options with the highest volume of sales, heaviest, most materials, and highest calculated embodied carbon for a new product within the product category / subcategories as defined in Annex A. It is not necessary to consider the full range of options available on the representative sample for the purposes of the evaluation. Notwithstanding all products of a family group are expected to meet the intent of the credits.
Worst‐case sample selection as defined in the BIFMA LEVEL Standard (v 2019) – Section 4
Corporate Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is the underpinning that drives not only what we do, but why we do it. Our facilities provide a platform of job and life skills training along with work experience to improve federal offenders' prospects of securing post-release employment and becoming contributing members of society.