We strive to be as safe, sustainable, and ethical as we can be. The unfortunate reality is there are many examples of materials that are not representative of these goals. Below you'll find some materials that are at least one of: Toxic, Unsustainable, or Unethical.
Where possible we also refer to alternatives that are similar but a better choice.
This is by no means a complete list.
Ipe
- Dangerous
- Unsustainable – The Rainforest Alliance reports that ipe is already overharvested due to its widespread use in construction projects. Thus, the continual sourcing of ipe may eventually lead to outright extinction.
- Alternatives
- Cumaru - Cumaru is almost as dense as Ipe and has a similar color and grain pattern. Cumaru tends to have more of a purple hue than Ipe and will gray out slightly darker than Ipe.
- Garapa - Garapa is golden in color, similar to Western Red Cedar without the knots. It's not as dense as Ipe, but still 5 times more durable than Cedar. Garapa is a great choice if you want the look of Cedar that will last longer and has a vertical grain.
- Batu- Widely considered the Mahogany of Indonesia, Batu hardwood decking is a rare Indonesian wood, which comes in an elegant range of reddish-brown tones with an even texture
