GREEN GLOSSARY
“Wisdom is the capacity to know what we don’t know.” – Paul Hawken

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> MSDS – Material Data Safety Sheet; a document required by OSHA that contains information about hazardous chemicals in the workplace in order to ensure the safety and health of the user at all stages of a material’s manufacture, storage, use and disposal.

> Natural Capital – A company’s environmental assets and natural resources existing in the physical environment either owned or simply utilized in business operations. Often traditional economic measures and indicators fail to take into account the development use of natural capital, although preservation of its quantity and quality and therefore its sustainable use is essential to a business’ long-term survival and growth.

> NGO – Non-Governmental Organization; a private, non-profit organization that is independent of business and government and that works toward some specific social, environmental or economic goal through research, activism, training, promotion, advocacy, lobbying, community service, etc.

> Nonrenewable Energy – An energy source such as oil, coal, or natural gas, or a natural resource such as metallic ore, that cannot be replenished or replaced in a timely manner after is has been used. (Also referred to as “Brown Power.”)

> Offsets – Investments made in greenhouse gas reduction or renewable energy projects to compensate for emissions.

> Organic – A term signifying the absence of pesticides, hormones, synthetic fertilizers and other toxic materials in the cultivation of agricultural products.

> Post Consumer Recycling – The recycling of materials generated from residential and consumer waste for use in new or similar purposes.

> Post Industrial Recycling – Recovered industrial and manufacturing materials that are diverted from the landfill for reuse or recycling.

> Product of Consumption – A product designed for safe and complete return to the environment, which becomes nutrients for living systems. The product of consumption design strategy allows products to offer effectiveness without the liability of materials that must be recycled or managed after use.

> Product of Service – A product that is used by the customer, formally or in effect, but is owned by the manufacturer. The manufacturer maintains ownership of material assets for continual reuse while the customer received the service of the product without assuming material liability (“renting” or “leasing” a product rather that “purchasing”).

MTS Seating makes every effort to avoid “greenwashing” by complying with the Federal Trade Commission’s Part 260 Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims. Please feel free to contact Jennifer White, Sustainability Coordinator, or Dave Dimmer, Marketing Manager, with any questions or feedback.