Each issue, this section highlights sustainability-related information from a different GBI Supporter.

GP Offers Products in a Variety of Green Building Categories

One of the world’s leading manufacturers of building materials and a committed supporter of green building, Georgia-Pacific offers a range of products designed to make homes and commercial structures more sustainable.

For example:

• Energy efficiency – A layer of highly reflective aluminum foil applied to Georgia-Pacific’s plywood and oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing adds an energy efficient dimension to these construction mainstays. GP’s enhanced radiant barrier sheathings are Energy Star® qualified.  They may lower cooling energy consumption by up to 17% by blocking the sun’s radiant heat from entering into the attic area.

• Resource efficiency – GP’s I-joists use 40 to 50 percent less wood fiber than 2x10 or 2x12 dimension lumber, without sacrificing performance. Constructed from oriented strand board and sawn or laminated veneer lumber (LVL), engineered products like GP’s I-joists, LVL, rim board and other engineered lumber products are excellent for floor and roof systems. They also make use of smaller trees that require less time to regenerate.

• Forest sustainability – Though no longer a timberland owner, GP maintains its commitment to sustainable forestry through its wood procurement practices. Its North American wood and fiber supply has been third-party certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) Standard. GP also encourages reforestation and helps fund landowner and logger education programs that promote awareness of sustainable forestry practices.
  
  
• Waste reduction – GP manufacturing processes are planned to ensure that no part of the tree is wasted. Chips and wood waste from sawmills and plywood plants supply pulp and paper mills as well as plants that make hardboard and oriented strand board. GP also recycles enough gypsum drywall every year to cover the walls of 50,000 homes.*
  
  GP’s unique dispensing systems for paper towels, tissue, napkins and soap are specified in many green buildings because they reduce consumption in away-from-home environments. GP’s “touchless” towel dispenser reduces waste at the source and improves hygiene for consumers, while its specially designed replacement towels and dispenser napkins reduce usage and waste by 30% or more compared to standard products. GP’s coreless tissue and dispenser eliminate roll cores and reduce packaging waste by 96 percent.

• Indoor environment – To help improve indoor environments, GP produces the first gypsum drywall product to be GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® for low emissions. In addition, the product has been recognized with GREENGUARD Children & Schools^SM certification. This unique product incorporates a moisture-resistant core and substitutes mold- and moisture- resistant fiberglass mats for traditional paper facings.
  
  The company has also developed low-emitting resins that improve indoor air quality and help other manufacturers meet GREENGUARD certification requirements when the resins are included in their products.

Headquartered in Atlanta, GP employs approximately 50,000 people at 300 locations in North America, South America and Europe. For more information, please visit www.gp.com.

*Based on an average house that uses 10,000 sq. ft. of wallboard.