Sustainability

Bertolini church chairs are built with locally sourced materials. Chair frames are built from 16-gauge cold-rolled steel, which is 100% recyclable. This durable frame configuration will last twice as long as other frames, supporting sustainability by lengthening the product’s life cycle.

Impressions Chair

• GREENGUARD Certification
• FormFlex™ Seat Base
• Recyclable Foam
• Zero Emission Coating Process
• Reduced Packaging Waste

GREENGUARD Certified

The Impressions Church Chair by Bertolini is made in the USA and is GREENGUARD Certified by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, which means it has passed rigorous third-party tests to ensure it does not off-gas harmful chemicals.

Recyclability

Recyclable Seat Base

The Impressions Church Chair features our patented FormFlex™ seat base for boosted comfort during worship services and church events. This high-quality, molded plastic seat base also increases the product’s life.

The Essentials V2 Worship Chair is built with a plywood seat base, which is also fully recyclable. All Bertolini seat bases support 1,000 pounds (453.5 kg), which supports sustainability by extending the life of the chair.

Recyclable Foam

For our Impressions Chair, we use high-resilience, cold cured, flex-molded foam. It is fully recyclable and will last over 25 years, contributing to a long product life and the health of the planet.

Recyclable Brisa Folding Tables & Chairs

Our Brisa folding tables and chairs are fully recyclable. They feature steel frames and recyclable HDPE polyethylene (plastic) surfaces.

Fully Recyclable HD Series Chairs

The HD Series of stacking chairs are also recyclable. The HD Select and HD Premier Stacking Chair frames are made of recyclable steel tubing.

Zero Emission Coating Process

Bertolini does not use electroplating for chair finishes because of the environmental dangers of plating (which include toxic air pollution). Instead, Bertolini offers a more environmentally friendly powder coated steel frame finish, which lasts longer and is safer. At Bertolini, we use a state-of-the-art, electrostatic, powder coating system which is self-contained, has zero emissions, and has zero environmental impact.

Reduced Packaging Waste

We have reduced cardboard in our church chair packaging by eliminating the need for fully enclosed boxes in most deliveries. Chairs are delivered in custom shrink-wrapped protection stacks to reduce the environmental impact of packaging.

Industry-Leading Warranties

Bertolini chairs have solid warranties, which helps the planet by preventing waste from fast furniture.

Warranty terms vary depending on the model. The Impressions Church Chair has a 25-year warranty. The Essentials V2 Chair has a 5-year limited warranty. Other products in the Bertolini lineup have 1 to 5-year warranties.

Bertolini’s Commitment to Sustainability Includes:

Carbon Footprint

• Our policy for shipping is to consolidate loads to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption 
• Steel, poly, and wood are locally sourced for our facility

Recycling Programs

• We recycle all steel, corrugated plastic, aluminum, and wood at our facility.
• 100% of a Bertolini chair can be taken apart and recycled into other products.

In Progress Sustainability Initiatives:

Supplier Sustainability Profiles

• We survey our suppliers to learn about their sustainability initiatives and, whenever possible, choose to partner with sustainability-minded suppliers when making decisions on purchasing products and raw materials.

Environmental Policy

• It’s the policy of Bertolini to support continuous improvement in all aspects of business, including caring for the environment. 

Recycling Program

The Bertolini recycling program continues to expand as knowledge and technology advance. This program includes recycled materials purchased and used in the product (pre-production recycling) as well as materials recycled after production (post-production recycling).

Pre-Production Recycling Program

Steel:

• Steel tubing used in Bertolini chair frames contains an average of 23% post-consumer recycled steel. This represents approximately 25% of the weight of a standard chair.
• Steel tube yield is very high because it’s cut to size at the mill, which eliminates waste caused by different lengths required to build chairs.

Plastic:

• Our ABS plastic used in manufacturing chair backs and seat bases contains 80% recycled material or “regrind.” This represents approximately 14% of the weight of an average chair. Leftover ABS scrap material from molded backrests is also recycled.

Wood:

• Plywood seat bases are used on some models where plastic is not used. Our plywood is made of recycled scraps of a renewable resource (wood).

Fabrics:

• Polyolefin fabrics are manufactured from industrial waste, as a by-product of gasoline manufacturing, thus removing raw materials from the waste stream. This fabric is also highly durable, rated at 250,000 double rubs, which contributes to the product’s long life, and is recyclable.

Foam:

• Some of our foam contains sustainable soy/bio-based polyol material, which replaces non-renewable petroleum-based polyols. This type of polyol improves energy efficiency and reduces the carbon and environmental footprint.

Post-Product Recycling Program

Steel:

• Scrap/recycle dumpsters are placed throughout the facility. The dumpsters are picked up by a scrap metal dealer for recycling into other steel products.

Aluminum:

• All scrap aluminum is collected and then taken to a recycling facility.
• Aluminum cans are also recycled.

Cardboard:

• Corrugated cardboard is flattened and recycled.

Plastic:

• All ABS plastic scrap generated from the injection process is reground and reused. This means that zero plastic scrap is wasted.

Wood:

• All wood dust and scrap wood pieces are sent to a recycling facility.

Powders:

• Excess Powder coating used in the manufacturing process is collected and recycled as “Reclaimed.” Reclaimed powder is used on chair carts and dollies.

Foam:

• Chairs made with molded foam eliminate the waste caused by cutting foam.
• Scrap foam is returned to the supplier who bales it and sends it to be made into carpet padding. This type of carpet padding is higher quality than virgin poly.

Social Responsibility

Bertolini is committed to responsibly using resources to build a healthy and educated workforce and to care for the environment.