Aug 3 2007
Steelcase Inc. a global office environments manufacturer, today introduced Clarity(TM), a water-borne wood finish applied using an environmentally- friendly process.
Clarity is a wood finish that includes the wash, sealer and top coats. Metro was the first Steelcase company to finish its wood products with Clarity. Now Steelcase joins Metro to achieve a major milestone in the transition it began in 2001 to eliminate solvents from its wood furniture finishing processes.
Clarity provides a number of benefits to customers and to the environment. For instance, since it is water based, wood casegood products are now Indoor Advantage(TM) certified for indoor air quality by Scientific Certification Systems. This certification validates that many Steelcase wood products conform to the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA) and the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) low-emitting product criterion. Because this finishing process is used in standard production, all of the standard casegood products manufactured in our wood plant meet thosecriterion.
The Clarity water-based clear top coat is also more durable than solvent finishes. Typically the trade off for durability is limited reparability, but the Clarity finish is different. It allows for repairs to the topcoat, should damage occur. And the finish consistency and clarity allow the natural beauty of the wood to come through. Wood products with the new finish are shipping now.
"Not only is the Clarity finishing process beneficial to customers, it is better for the environment, as it enables us to decrease the total amount of hazardous waste in the manufacturing process," said Jim Keane, president, Steelcase Group.
Steelcase wood products are manufactured in the first LEED certified manufacturing facility in the world.