AyA Kitchens and Baths' commitment to sustainability is exemplified in AyA’s Green Design initiative. Throughout its business practices AyA Kitchens is continually striving to surpass environmental and health standards and help their customers create healthier environments, whether renovating a home or building LEED certified developments. AyA's cabinetry has achieved certification from the KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program (ESP). AyA uses only CARB2 complaint cabinetry materials and water based finishes to help ensure healthy home environments. Waste and energy reduction programs at our production facility are ongoing and our most recent initiative is to upcycle much of our cabinet packaging in the GTA.
AyA launched its Green Design initiative in early 2007 and continues to expand its green programs today. The rooftop solar photovoltaic system on the roof of the factory, completed in 2022, is AyA’s most ambitious green project to date. The 533.82 kWDC solar PV system is comprised of 1148 solar panels and will generate approximately 550 MWh of renewable energy on average, per year. AyA has also recently commenced a long term Phytoremediation project on its property - a process of removing contaminants from soil or groundwater by utilizing different types of plants. AyA has teamed up with Pete North of North Design Studio and the University of Toronto on a multi-year project to determine which plants best remove low-level contaminants on the AyA property, a legacy of past tenants of the site. AyA Kitchens is passionate about the environment and dedicated to advancing it's healthy and green ventures.
AyA's long-standing commitment to the environment encompasses everything from recycling, energy and resource conservation to waste reduction, low-VOC finishes and sustainable products. The ESP program through the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) certifies that those efforts positively impacts both the environment and our community. Certification in the ESP is awarded annually. Manufacturers must earn a minimum of 80 of 110 total points based on compliance in five categories:
Air Quality (30 points) - Use of panel products proven to reduce the emission of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
Product Resource Management (30 points) - Use of recycled and sustainable products.
Process Resource Management (20 points) - Company has a recycling, waste stream manaagement, and energy conservation program in place.
Environmental Stewardship (20 points) - Manufacturer has a documented program which demonstrates its commitment to environmental quality and reviews the environmental practices of its key vendors.
Community Relations (10 points) - Company demonstrates community involvement and leadership through service or charitable organizations
In addition to points, supporting documentation must be provided to substantiate that the company has instituted the necessary policies and procedures. Upon certification, all ESP-certified companies are awarded the ESP seal to display on their products, giving testament to their dedication to preserving much needed resources.
The industry standard for finishing wood cabinetry has historically always been solvent-based finishes. They are tried and true and are easy to work with. The down side is that they are based on solvents that are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s).
Since it’s inception AyA has always strived to be a leader in green design and has been working ahead to provide a better and safer product for our clients and our environment. Although our solvent based finishes have always been low-VOC, after years of testing to ensure our quality would not be compromised, in May 2014 AyA changed over our solvent based topcoat to a water-based topcoat.
As of April 2021 AyA has introduced a full line of water-based stains, paints and a water-based sealer. This voluntary switch to water-based finishes ensures AyA Kitchens is ahead of the curve and provides a superior and truly environmentally friendly product for our clients. > AyA Reduction Plan
Forest management ensures that the harvest of timber and non-timber products maintains the forest's biodiversity, productivity and ecological processes.
AyA is committed to providing a quality product in a manner that ensures a safe and healthy workplace for our employees, contributes to a safe and healthy home for our customers and AyA prides itself in being an active member of its community. AyA has partnered with school woodworking programs by providing excess wood materials for student projects. AyA has been an active supporter of Habitat for Humanity and other community based initiatives.
> Learn more about AyA's outreach community projects.
AyA Kitchens and Baths will be installing a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system at their 1551 Caterpillar Rd, Mississauga facility. The 533.82 kWDC solar PV system will be comprised of 1148 solar panels and will generate approximately 550 MWh of renewable energy on average, per year. The 450kWAC Distributed Generation (DG) system will be interconnected to the buildings load system, setup with Alectra Utilities as a net-metering project, which will aim to offset more than 17% of the facilities existing energy consumption. The energy offset of this facility over the expected 30 year project lifespan will be the approximate equivalent of planting over 243 thousand trees (carbon equivalent) and will reduce facility carbon emissions by 10 thousand tonnes of CO2 during that time.
> Learn more about AyA's Solar ProjectPhytoremediation is the process of removing contaminants from soil or groundwater by utilizing different types of plants. AyA has teamed up with Pete North of North Design Studio and the University of Toronto on a multi-year project to use plants to remove the low level contaminants on the AyA property, a legacy of past tenants of the site. AyA has taken on this voluntary project to protect and improve the neighbouring Etobicoke Creek area and encourage biodiversity through renaturalization of the area bordering the creek with the planting of native plants and trees.
> Learn more about AyA's Phytoremediation ProjectAyA has always been an environmentally conscious company that takes pride in reducing waste and increasing efficiency. In 2014 we focused on energy conservation, first in our manufacturing facility and then expanded into our building and offices. By converting all of AyA’s lighting to energy-efficient LED light bulbs and removing unnecessary lighting, AyA’s electricity consumption dropped almost 20% from 2014-2017. Over the same period by changing practices and reducing inefficiencies, natural gas consumption was reduced by almost half.
One of the principal objectives of AyA’s proprietary, in-house developed, production software is material optimization. Utilizing this software allows AyA to minimize the waste generated at every operation in the manufacturing process. The next step is to reuse or recycle any remaining waste material. From solid wood to finishing materials, AyA works with employees and partners to first reuse and then recycle as must of our waste stream as possible.
Recently, in partnership with Q & A Design, AyA fabricated wood components from solid maple offcuts from our door department for a stunning reciprocal canopy that surrounded our KBIB/IBS tradeshow booth. Solid wood shavings and used brown paper towels from restrooms are being composted and the waste from cleaning our finishing lines is recycled and reused by AyA.
