Tech titans embrace responsible forestry

Large organizations have large facilities; And the construction of a large building uses a lot of resources. A strong sustainability program aims to increase positive impacts by making operational efforts part of the organization’s internal and external history, motivating stakeholders and creating brand value. The combination of large facilities and a strong sustainability program has far-reaching and long-lasting positive impacts – especially in our forests and natural environment.

thanks to
COP15
And the result International Convention on Biological Diversity
Signed by more than 190 countries, the critical issue of biodiversity loss has drawn attention to many corporate and financial initiatives. of World Economic ForumS 2022 Global Disasters Report

Biodiversity loss is the third most serious global threat in the next 10 years, he said. Healthy, responsibly managed forests support biodiversity, maintain water quality, sequester carbon over the long term and produce large amounts of oxygen.

A peer-reviewed study by
Ecotrust and the University of Washington It showed that forests can.
Forest Management Council (F.S.C) levels are globally significant in sequestering large amounts of carbon, which is key to mitigating the effects of climate change. Additional carbon storage rates ranged from 13 percent to 69 percent more in FSC-certified forests, and on average 30 percent more than under legal management practices.

While many companies focus their sustainability efforts on their products and the point at which the brand interacts with consumers, the two tech giants are basing their efforts on a “nature-positive” approach, including large construction and renovation projects. When it comes to wood and forest products, responsible sourcing is very important.

Meta

in MetaFor its global real estate portfolio of commercial office space and data centers, the inclusion of FSC-certified wood has been part of sustainable design and construction standards for over five years. For Meta-owned and built data centers, project specifications require 100 percent FSC certification for all new and permanently installed wood. In the year In 2017, the company’s data center projects averaged 94 percent FSC-certified lumber, totaling 16.9 million square feet worldwide.

To achieve these goals, Meta integrates the requirement for FSC wood into the project-delivery process, coordinating with design and construction partners across the board to support compliance. When complications and project-based constraints arise, such as long lead times or supply chain issues (especially during a pandemic), the sustainability team exhausts all options before entertaining troubleshooting needs with their general contractors and lumber suppliers. Additionally, the data center portfolio of projects in flight is on target to comply with this FSC requirement.

Meta Design’s standards for office spaces also include a 100 percent FSC certified standard for all permanently installed wood products. In 2015, incorporating FSC into its workplace healthy and sustainable materials standards for office spaces, it is estimated that at least 50 percent of the wood purchased in the portfolio is FSC certified, with many offices exceeding this baseline and hitting over 95 percent compliance. . West Coast Meta’s recently completed 440,000 square foot construction project successfully procured 98 percent FSC certified wood. A sustainable subject matter expert on all office developments, similar to the implementation process for data centers, educates and supports global design and construction teams in meeting office space standards.

With more than 180 offices in 40 countries, Meta faces market supply and cost premium challenges related to FSC-certified wood. This includes educating local project teams and wood suppliers on the choice of FSC certified products whenever possible to meet compliance. This has led to many instances of wood sellers and factories obtaining FSC certification to support suppliers to comply with META requirements and to protect the chain of custody of their products. Many of these companies were open to certification; And the initiative and education on the part of the building-owner was a key element sometimes lacking in their regional industry.

“These achievements are important to our long-term goals and will create a lasting positive impact on local markets and supply chains,” he says.
Amruta SudhalkarSenior Sustainability Program Manager at Meta. “We are committed to driving market change by leveraging our purchasing power and holding our development teams accountable for supporting strong and sustainable forest standards.”

Google

Google Bay View Campus | Image credit: Google

as if GoogleSustainability was the main principle of its design and development. Bay view And East of Charleston Campuses. As Google’s first-ever development projects, Bay View and Charleston East provide an opportunity to build and sustain Google’s work, be supportive neighbors, and design places that create great workplaces.

Both projects were pursued. LEED-NC v4 Platinum Certificates, as well A live construction test (LBC) Petal Certificates –
Water leaf In Bay view and Materials Petal in Charleston East. These certifications served as strong drivers for the project teams in their pursuit of sustainable design and performance, as well as providing Google with highly credible platforms to showcase their work promoting sustainability in the building materials industry.

From day one, Bay View and Charleston East have prioritized building materials that advance Google’s sustainability goals, from choosing salvaged products to healthy chemistry to materials. Much of the sustainable-materials effort involved getting the entire team—from designers to engineers to the construction team—to rethink long-held conventions about building materials, getting everyone to think about a shared vision of sustainable, human-centered buildings.

One of the main pillars of Charleston East and Bay View’s sustainable material goals was to source as much wood as possible from FSC-certified, responsibly managed forests. More than 96 percent of the new wood used at the Bay View campus is FSC certified, supporting Google’s goals of building sustainably and providing healthy, biophilic workplaces. One example is the FSC-certified birch plywood used as cladding for conference rooms. This material not only provides wayfinding in the building, but also adds elements of biophilia to the space by introducing natural wood designs.

Charleston East – currently under construction – strives to source 100 percent FSC-certified lumber for temporary construction uses and permanent construction materials. Supported by the project’s LBC Materials Petal certification, this goal challenged the project team to prioritize responsible supply from construction, such as concrete formwork and temporary delays. FSC wood also features prominently in the building’s design: the structural system is covered with FSC-certified CLT (cross-laminated timber).

Between Bay View and Charleston East, FSC’s timber sourcing will advance Google’s vision to not only reduce its development’s impact on global forests – but also to create places where architecture, nature and people live in harmony for decades to come. Beyond these two sites, sustainability innovations in Charleston East and Bay View are inspired by the systems and strategies teams are now helping to achieve Google’s ambitious corporate sustainability commitments in projects across the company’s global real estate portfolio.

Because of their excellence in responsible forestry, both Meta and Google’s Bay View and Charleston East projects. 2022 FSC Leadership Award Winners.