Celebrating 20 Years of Bringing You Sustainable Architectural Design Elements

You demand the best for clients. From plans to products, you seek out suppliers and manufacturers you can trust and rely on in order to bring the spaces you dream up to life. For the past 20 years, Kirei has provided dependable and sustainable design products - starting with Kirei Board (a product made from the left-over, post-harvest stalks of the sorghum plant), Wheat Board, and Coco Tiles to current favorites like PET made from recycled materials. With a commitment to sustainability at our core, Kirei is thrilled to celebrate our 20th anniversary in tandem with Earth Month. We will continue to show the world that sustainability is not a passing trend but a necessity for our future.

Making the most sustainable choices starts at the source. Material choices define much more than the aesthetic of an environment. You can make a statement about client values by incorporating sustainable materials that promote a circular product life and divert waste from landfills.

EchoPanel is a perfect example of a commitment to creating a circular economy. EchoPanel®, a registered trademark of Woven Image®, is made from over 60% recycled PET and each panel diverts 235 single-use plastic bottles from global landfills and waterways. Since 2004, Woven Image has recycled over 5,505 tons of PET plastic, equivalent to more than 275 million 600ml plastic bottles. Additionally, from January 2022, Woven Image has offset the embodied carbon of EchoPanel® to Zero. Specifically, 2,620 tonnes CO2-eq through donations equivalent to planting 4,165 trees and shrubs.

Sustainability isn’t just a selling point, but a core value for Kirei. We continue to bring designers the most environmentally friendly options. With our latest launch, we’ve taken sustainability to the max with the Air Baffle made from both recycled water bottles and shoes.

The Air Baffle is filled with post-consumer textile fluff from Nike Grind, a global sustainability program that helps transform manufacturing scrap and end-of-life shoes into recycled Nike Grind Materials. For nearly three decades, Nike has been incorporating Nike Grind materials into product design, retail spaces and workplace environments at Nike World Headquarters and around the globe. 130 million pounds of Nike Grind have been recycled into partners’ products since 1992. The window on the Air Baffle contains 40% pre-consumer recycled content, and is 100% recyclable.

For designers, we know trusting your sources is vital to deliver reliable results. You shouldn’t have to worry about a lack of transparency in the materials you are using. As a part of our commitment to sustainability, our products come with certifications you can count on. Get the certification breakdown below.

Declare - The Declare label from the International Living Future Institute serves as an ingredients label for building products, providing transparency and enabling designers to make informed decisions about the products they choose.

Red List Free - Red List chemicals that have been designated as harmful to living creatures, including humans, or the environment - many that have been developed specifically for building materials. Products that qualify for the Red List Free label may not contain any of the Red List chemicals or chemical groups.

Global GreenTag™ GreenRATE Level A - Global GreenTag certified products pass the world's toughest standards for health, eco performance, and safety. GreenRate Level A is a recognised initiative for Green Star Responsible Products credits.

Low VOC Emissions - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are harmful to the environment and human health. Low VOC emissions are easier on the environment and contribute to good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).

Health Product Declaration - An HPD is a Health Product Declaration® that contains standardized, accurate and consistent reporting of product contents and associated health information for building products. An HPD is a self-declared list of ingredients in building materials by the product manufacturer.

Environmental Product Declaration - An EPD meets specific rules and requirements for each product type and is verified by a third party panel. EPD’s includes Life Cycle Environmental Inventory and Life Cycle Environmental Impact Analysis from material extraction through disposal. They allow manufacturers to report quantified environmental performance information for their products. EPDs are internationally accepted and developed in-line with well-established International Standards to ensure rigor and transparency.

LEED - LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council®.

Carbon Neutral - Carbon Neutral means that carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from a company’s activities is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed through buying carbon credits in carbon reduction projects.

When you specify with Kirei, your dollar doesn’t stop short. Kirei is proud to contribute 1% of our annual revenue to environmental nonprofits working on today’s most pressing climate issues as part of our 1% for the Planet membership - a commitment to accountability, partnership building, and doing better for people and the planet, not just on Earth Day, but every day.

To empower the employees to show their support, we donate to the nonprofits selected by each of our team members. They can select eligible organizations that align with their personal values and missions. Below, some of our team give their reasons why they selected their chosen organization.

Madeline S. - Little John’s Kitchen
I chose Little John’s Kitchen because they turn food that would otherwise be wasted, into meals for people in need. I used to work in the food industry and remember how much food would be thrown out at the end of the night just from our store. I would start imagining all the other restaurants on the block, and then all the other restaurants in our company around the US that were doing the same. It is hard to imagine all of that good, unexpired food going to waste because it is not “sellable” anymore. I appreciate Little John’s mission to help turn this food waste into meals. I wish more places would take this initiative!

Megan S. - Wild Steelhead Coalition
Growing up in Oregon, fishing and hunting were a big part of the culture in the area I was from. My grandfather spent his retirement years as a leading member of the Steelheaders Association helping restore fish habitats and watersheds in the rivers and streams. Some of my fondest memories are of spending time with him doing these restoration projects and seeing how passionate he was about it. I chose to support the Wild Steelhead Coalition because it brings homage to him and my home.

Vijon F. - Center for Diversity and the Environment
This is the second year in a row that I nominated the CDE for our annual contribution, because their mission really resonates with me. I think about my duty as a parent of two young African American children and often wonder how our impact on the planet will affect their future. I want them to have avenues in place for their voices to be heard and give them a chance to make their own positive impact on the environment.

The CDE is a small non profit but a great building block toward this very important platform. This is a movement that has my support. This is what we need more of!

Kate R. - Friends of the Mississippi River
I chose to donate to the Friends of the Mississippi River because it is so close to me and my heart - located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This organization focuses on preserving our river, the landscape around the river and making sure that the communities impacted are enriched by the river through clean drinking water, parks, and learning programs.

While I don’t have the privilege of living near the ocean, Minnesotans treasure and love their water! It’s truly impactful to know that the Friends of the Mississippi are doing everything they can to continue to protect and restore this natural resource. Just think of every state that the Mississippi touches, from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico! It's quite amazing to consider its impact.

Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Center for Diversity and Environment
Farming Hope (SF)
Forever Balboa Park
Friends of the Mississippi River
I Love a Clean San Diego
La Semilla Food Center
Little John's Kitchen
The Nature Collective
Orca Conservancy
Outdoor Outreach
Rock Steady Farm
San Diego Coastkeeper
San Diego River Park Foundation
Surfrider Foundation of San Diego
Urban Sprouts
Wild Steelhead Coalition
Working Dogs for Conservation
World Wildlife Foundation