Conserving natural resources and reducing waste
We strive to use natural resources and building materials in the most efficient manner possible, which not only conserves precious natural resources but also reduces costs for our business. We seek to reduce waste on our construction jobsites and in our offices, along with mitigating or diverting potential pollution and e-waste. We also work closely with our suppliers to create a more sustainable and environmentally responsible supply chain. By prioritizing sustainable practices and encouraging suppliers to do the same, we may be able to reduce our environmental impact. Publicly disclosing our policies and intentions is an important part of this process.
We took an early leadership position in our industry 15 years ago by becoming a public proponent for the preservation of old-growth national forests in partnership with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), who recognized KB Home for our leadership in supporting the protection of old-growth forests and our commitment not to use lumber from those forests.
Responsible lumber practices
As wood products are a primary component in the homes that we build, we recognize the importance of sourcing lumber responsibly. We took the initiative nearly two decade ago to adopt preservation standards for trees growing in environmentally sensitive areas. Since then, we have built on these standards while still focusing on maintaining affordability for our buyers even during times of severe shortages, such as during 2020–2022. Some highlights of our lumber sourcing standards include:
- Protecting Endangered Forests – Our lumber suppliers are required to certify that wood will not be directly or indirectly sourced from endangered forests. This includes places such as tropical rainforests; habitats that contain rare or endangered species, trees or other plants; or sites that exhibit rare ecological or evolutionary phenomena.
- Engineered Wood Products – We continue to explore the expansion of our use of engineered wood products and other sustainable alternatives while balancing the costs for our customers. For example, floor systems for two-story homes are primarily constructed of manufactured “I” joists rather than nominal lumber. In addition, most structural beams are either engineered products or laminated from smaller members. Engineered wood products are made from recycled lumber, often stronger than products made from virgin trees, and minimize the cutting of new trees.
- Value Engineering and Panelization – Many of our home designs are built around a central module engineered to provide construction efficiency so fewer raw materials are used. By optimizing our home design to use more manufactured framing components, we can reduce the amount of lumber used, thereby reducing the number of trees needed to build a KB home. According to our supplier partner, Builders FirstSource®, our use of their precut framing packages and trusses has resulted in an estimated 22,000 trees saved when compared to traditional stick- framed homes in 2022. Additionally, this approach reduces waste compared to on-site construction, allows work to progress regardless of weather conditions and minimizes the transportation of materials to construction sites. It also helps us build more airtight homes, which means better energy efficiency and lower utility bills.
- Third-Party Certification – Our suppliers offer certified products through sustainable forestry management programs or organizations like the SFI or the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC).
- Legal Compliance – All KB Home wood suppliers commit to complying with all local, national and international laws applicable to wood or wood merchandise.
Pollution prevention practices
Maximizing the efficient use of materials and reducing waste lessen our impact on the environment and our cost to build, which helps us to keep homeownership more affordable. Both in building our neighborhoods and operating our offices, we strive to implement practices to enhance our pollution prevention and waste reduction impact. We are committed to significantly reducing or eliminating our landfill waste over time.
- Jobsite waste tracking
- Storm water pollution prevention practices
- Diverting plastic waste from landfills and oceans
e-Waste diversion practices
We also aim to responsibly divert our electronic waste from landfills. Our information technology team maintains a robust inventory of all electronics issued to employees to help track and ensure that such items are timely retired. Under our policy, all KB Home electronics are retired through one of the three following methods:
- Direct donation to nonprofit organizations
- Refurbished through secondary sellers
- Recycled through certified e-waste centers