Our approach to sustainability

Choosing doors is easy, fun and enjoyable

What’s not to love? You get to browse and choose a style that reflects the personality you’re after, sets the tone for the look and feel of the home, and stands as a symbol of warm welcomes, protection, and security.

A huge part of making the process enjoyable is knowing where your doors come from and how they’re made. It feels good when things are done with careful consideration of people and planet.

That’s why it’s important we’re open about our approach to ethical and environmentally responsible practice.

We always look for new ways to improve our performance in timber-sourcing, product design, manufacturing and delivery. It’s for the good of producers, customers, regulatory bodies, builders, families and everyone else involved in creating and enjoying stylish, quality doors.

Let’s open up on some important practices, certifications and processes for sustainability. So you can feel just as good as your doors will look.

Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification

The Forestry Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation. Their role is to promote and ensure the responsible management of the world’s forests.

FSC certification means that products using timber—like doors—come from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.

Some of the things you’ll see in an FSC-managed forest include:

People won’t enter the forest to remove trees for 3-5 days after rainfall, because the ground is too soft. This ensures heavy tree-felling machinery doesn’t damage the land and contributes to better soil conditions for the future.
Thoughtful removal of timber, including leaving strategic ‘green corridors’ of trees while consistently replanting for reforestation. This protects biological diversity by ensuring plants and animals have a stable home to flourish in and means there are ample resources for local communities.
Proactive protection against silt buildup (which is fine soil particles) in local lakes, rivers and other bodies of water, to ensure the ongoing health of broader ecosystems and waterways.

In many ways, FSC certification is about more than just forests. It also delivers benefits through partnerships with local and indigenous communities.

As part of FSC certification, forestry representatives repeatedly check in with local or indigenous communities around each forest. Any feedback informs the way that forest is managed. For example, there might be a water source that is important to protect for local irrigation, which means machinery routes are changed to protect the area near the water.

Other measures include:

Stringent requirements around workplace conditions. This ensures people are well-supported to make an active choice to work, that people are well paid for their contributions, have annual holiday periods, and there are no children involved in any part of the process.
For those workers who have families, there are dormitories and schools nearby, offering additional supports like food and nutrition information.

For further peace of mind, FSC-certified timber is tracked throughout the supply chain: from the forest to the factory, and right through to the final customer.

FSC factory certification

Peace of mind through every step of production

As sustainably sourced timber makes its journey from the forest to the factory floor, tracking becomes even more important. Particularly when there are other timber types—which are still considered sustainable but may not be FSC-certified—being used for different things in the production process.

It’s important to note that while timber itself can be FSC-certified as a source material, there are additional steps to consider if you want to ensure that whole products are created using FSC-certified timber only.

You can always ask us—or any other door manufacturer you might consider—whether specific doors are crafted in line with the requirements for FSC-factory-certification, or whether FSC-certified timber is sourced to use in combination with other certified timber.

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)

PEFC is similar to FSC certification. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to sustainable forest management.

PEFC certification provides assurances that wood and paper products come from sustainably managed forests. It helps protect forests for future generations and promotes responsible forest management globally.

Timber Legality Assurance System (SVLK)

With a state of the art research and development facility in Majalenka, Indonesia, we’re constantly looking for new, sustainable, and flexible ways to craft doors you’re proud to love. As part of that approach, we comply with the Indonesian ‘Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu’, which translates to Timber Legality Assurance System in English.

Important aspects of the SVLK include:

Ensuring all timber is harvested in line with local laws and regulations. This includes permits, environmental regulation, adherence to sustainable forestry practice, and more.
Tracking timber from the forest through the entire supply chain to ensure that only legally and sustainably sourced wood is used.
Providing a certificate for timber and wood products that meet the SVLK standard, allowing them to be sold international as verified legal products.
Promoting sustainable forest management and combating illegal logging by providing a transparent and accountable system for timber trade.

You can find more information on Indonesia’s SVLK certificate in the detailed report below, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Learn more about the SVLK system

Recycling materials to minimise waste to landfill

Using sustainable production practices, we are able to reuse materials and divert significant amounts of timber and metal from landfill.

One example of sustainable production is using waste products—like excess sawdust and offcuts of timber—to generate heat for the steam process which is used to cure a door. Curing makes the glue ‘stick’, so all of the individual elements of each door fit and fix together properly.

We’re committed to growing for the future

Much like the forests we sustainably source timber from, our approach to ethical and environmentally friendly practices will continue to grow, evolve, and flourish over time.

We regularly review the life cycle stages of products across Corinthian Doors, to improve processes, production methods, material selection, reuse, end of life recycling, and much, much more.

It is important we stay active, and actively seek to do things in the way that is best for people and the planet. That’s our commitment to you and our commitment to the future.