Stepping up for sustainability

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about all the ways LP Building Solutions is integrating sustainability into their operations. 

Recently, there has been a conscious push in the home improvement and installation industry for more sustainable practices and products, especially as more emerges about how sustainable practices are also key to supporting local industries and the overall health of a community. In this Read Listen Watch® (RLW) webinar, Heidi J. Ellsworth spoke to the LP Building Solutions Resource Manager, Kris Gray, about this shift and how LP fits into the picture.  

One thing that LP has done to improve the sustainability of their practices is their Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Notably, they won an award for this on the national level in 2022. Kris shared a bit about what this initiative is, saying, “The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is a third-party certifier. So when LP buys wood, we source our fiber under that forest certification standard. And that lays out a laundry list of things that our loggers are trained in. For example, they need to continually be getting logger education to make sure that they're up on the latest endangered species, forest management techniques, water quality best management practices and so forth.” Further, LP has made it a goal to source all their wood locally, within 150 miles of their plants. Kris elaborated, “You don't have to worry about the rights of the rightful landowner being violated. We have a robust rule of law in the United States that regulates how you buy and cut stumpage from landowners.” 

Beyond working to source their materials in a sustainable way, LP is also dedicated to designing products that continue that push for sustainability. An example of this is the LP SmartSide Trim and Siding. This is a traditional wooden siding, sourced using that forestry initiative, but designed to be a longer length which reduces the waste during installation. It is also designed with a 50-year warranty, meaning that the siding or trim does not need to be replaced as frequently, also reducing waste. Kris explained how they achieved this, saying, “There’s zinc borate (an inert chemical) in the wood to help resist rotting... But this is a water-soluble chemical. So as it rains and everything else, some zinc drips off with every drop of water. But we’ve ensured there's enough in here that after 50 years, there's still enough zinc that it's rot resistant. That's what our 50-year warranty is based off.” 

Read the transcript, Listen to the recording or Watch the full webinar for more about how LP Building Solutions creates products that protect the environment, their communities and the homeowners’ houses.