Smith & Fong Co. Presents Bamboo MultiSport Sport Flooring
Sustainability / Green / LEED
Bamboo, Abundantly, Rapidly Renewable
- There are approximately 1,500 species of bamboo in the world
- Some species can grow up to one inch per hour in a 24-hour period
- Bamboo grows in a wide range of environments: from semi-arid to tropical, from mountain ranges to flat plains
- Sizes range from small shrubs to towering timbers, almost 12 inches in diameter and over 100 feet in height
- Carbon sequestration: with its rapid growth, a bamboo forest is up to 70% more effective in digesting carbon compared to a hardwood forest
- Grown in its native environment, our bamboo forests require no irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides—nature provides everything the bamboo needs to grow
- Supports natural ecological diversity in animal life and vegetation
Rhizome Root Structure
- Sustainably grown: Smith & Fong uses natural bamboo groves, which require no pesticides or fertilizers—roots running underneath the forest floor efficiently capture necessary nutrients
- Small footprint: harvesting bamboo doesn’t harm its roots. Much like mowing a lawn, there is no need to undergo replanting
- Extensive root structure prevents erosion by holding the earth in place, stabilizing hillsides while cleaning the air
Sustainability
- In its native environment: no pesticides, fertilizers, or irrigation is needed
- Selecting the harvest: our bamboo is culled from the forest, taking only the mature timbers and avoiding leaving holes in the forest canopy
- Harvested by hand: no destructive or energy-intensive machinery
- Mature culms: moso bamboo (nicknamed “timber bamboo”) matures at 5-6 years of age
- Helping habitat: 20% of the forest is cut annually, leaving 80% of the canopy intact; 100% of the forest can be sustainably harvested over a five year period
- From the source: we maintain a direct relationship with our bamboo farmers, ensuring sustainable harvesting practices and quality control under FSC guidelines not found in bamboo on the open market
Quality Control
At Smith & Fong, we believe that environmental responsibility necessitates more than regulation compliance, and that quality control also includes quality of the larger environment. We pride ourselves on:
- Ever increasing the safety of our workers through the use of protective equipment and on-going safety training
- Maintaining proper calibration of manufacturing equipment to ensure consistency
- Managing moisture: precise kiln drying and lamination processes stabilize the product at a moisture content averaging 6–9 percent
- Performing stringent quality inspections before final shipment of products from our production facilities
UKGBC L.E.E.D, contributions include:
MRc7: Certified Wood (Bamboo)
MRc7: Certified Wood (Battens)
MRc6: Rapidly Renewable (Bamboo)
IEQc4.1,4.2: Low Emitting Materials: (installer supplied paints and coatings)
IEQc4.3: Low Emitting Materials: Manufacturer's Flooring Systems (ZF:zero formaldehyde)
MRc4: Recycled Content: (crumb rubber content of Cradles, Sprung Battens pads
and Sprung Mat padding
I.D.: Innovation in Design