“Enriching the experience in the outdoors and creating a sense of place is what Landscape Forms is all about. Sustainability is foundational to who we are today and what we aspire to become in the future,” says Landscape Forms’ CEO, Marjorie Simmons.

As Simmons describes, integral to Landscape Forms’ stated purpose to “Enrich Outdoor Spaces” is a strong dedication to sustainable product design and manufacturing processes, and the continual examination of how products and processes act upon the environment is requisite to achieving this goal. Design, Culture and Craft—the three pillars at the core of Landscape Forms—are backed by a strong sense of environmental accountability that drives all aspects of the company. Sustainability is considered at every turn, at every touch point, from the product design, to the manufacturing process, to the development of employees and workplace culture.

"Our company’s decisions and policies will be made through the lens of sustainability, from initial product concepts and development and manufacturing processes and material choices to supply chain decisions and our day-to-day habits of resource use and recycling,” continues Simmons. “Promoting sustainability in all that we do is the right thing to do. It’s good for our planet, good for future generations, and good for our business.”

The most basic level of sustainable product design concerns durability—products that are designed to live long lives and withstand the rigors of natural environment and heavy use is a more sustainable use of resources than products that quickly become weathered or obsolete. And since its founding, Landscape Forms has been synonymous with high-quality, purpose-built durable furnishings. But the company’s approach to sustainability goes deeper. “Design is just one element in our approach to sustainability,” says Chief Creative Officer, Kirt Martin. “It’s one part of a consistent thread that weaves through everything we do, influencing our manufacturing processes and even our culture.”

As for how these efforts play out on a day-to-day basis, Landscape Forms Senior Designer, Brian Revoir describes, “Our day-to-day approach to sustainability is based on continuous improvement, continually looking for new materials and innovative ways to use them to improve efficiency and reduce waste.” This approach to sustainable product design and manufacturing is inspired by the kaizen philosophy—the pursuit of continuous improvement across all levels of the company. Kaizen principles seek to advance and standardize processes in order to reduce waste and complexity and further leaner and cleaner operations.

“We write a sustainability program for every product that holistically analyzes its impact from cradle to grave,” continues Revoir. “It’s important to analyze not just usable lifespan of a product, but also what happens before and during manufacturing and what happens after that usable lifespan has elapsed.”

For sustainability measures before and during manufacturing, Landscape Forms’ designers carefully consider how the get the most impact using the fewest components and how to most efficiently manufacture these components in-house. Continually improving in-house capabilities and sourcing raw materials domestically whenever possible contributes to greater transparency in environmental impact across the supply chain. Landscape Forms’ designers further consider ways in which the usable lifespan of a product can be reliably extended, incorporating aspects of modularity and adaptability enabling products to reflect the changing needs of a site. And considering the end of a product’s successful life, designers implement measures to ensure that the recycling of the materials is as easy and complete as possible.

In the spirit of Landscape Forms’ history as a leader in sustainable design and manufacturing, efforts have redoubled under the leadership of CEO, Marjorie Simmons. The recently formed Sustainability Committee is comprised of 12 emerging leaders from all areas of the company who share a passion for environmentalism. The group is tasked with taking a fresh look at products, processes, programs, and facilities from a sustainability point of view, each member working with smaller teams in their areas to implement department wins while also tackling larger company wide goals.

“I’m proud of Landscape Forms’ commitment to design, quality, and an exceptional customer experience as well as our renewed commitment to sustainability,” says Simmons. “It’s exciting to be working along side others who are passionate about protecting the environment and see the impact we can have on our communities now and into the future.”