St. Louis—The National Wood Flooring Association ( NWFA) Industry Research Foundation has contracted with the University of Wisconsin to conduct an environmental impact study on solid hardwood flooring.

This study will provide a detailed life-cycle analysis to assess the environmental impact of hardwood compared to other flooring alternatives, noted Ed Korczak, NWFA’s executive director and CEO. “The study specifically will examine hardwood’s environmental impact in terms of energy consumption, air pollution, water pollution, solid waste pollution and climate change relative to competing non-wood products.”

The research will be conducted by the Consortium for Research on Renewal Industrial Materials (CORRIM), an entity comprised of 13 cooperating universities and research institutions that is building a national database of the environmental and economic impacts associated with using renewable materials.

Korczak explained, to make informed choices, consumers need non-biased, scientifically verified information.

“The sustainability of this industry is important for both environmental and economic reasons,” he stated. “Products with low environmental impacts have a competitive advantage and are in greater demand than products with high environmental impacts. Based on sound scientific fact, it is important for us to evaluate the impacts of hardwood flooring on both our health and on our environment.”

The objectives of the research are to:

• Define the solid hardwood flooring manufacturing system.
• Develop a life-cyle inventory model for solid strip hardwood flooring.
• Compare solid strip flooring life-cycle inventory data with life-cycle inventory data for other non-wood flooring alternatives.

The final report will be published in August.

NWFA’s Industry Research Foundation was established in 2002 in an effort to fund and conduct unbiased scientific research relating to wood flooring.

For more about NWFA and its programs, call 800.422.4556.