Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY MEETS AFFORDABILITY

Over the past decade, mass timber has become a growing force in North America due to its aesthetic, efficiency, and ecological benefits. The most common form of mass timber used for building is cross-laminated timber, or CLT.

Our TerraLam® CLT product line is scalable, cost-competitive, and has the potential to rapidly decarbonize our built environment. An effective structural solution, it maintains compatibility with other materials in mass timber or hybrid applications for efficient integration into plans and projects. TerraLam CLT is domestically produced, renewable, and minimizes emissions associated with traditional construction while supporting local economies.

The image shows a wooden surface with a bold, uniform orange stain. The wood grain and plank seams are visible, giving it a textured appearance while maintaining a solid color finish.
A rectangular opening in the mass timber ceiling of a wooden structure under construction, with beams and planks visible.

SUSTAINABILITY MEETS AFFORDABILITY

Over the past decade, mass timber has become a growing force in North America due to its aesthetic, efficiency, and ecological benefits. The most common form of mass timber used for building is cross-laminated timber, or CLT.

Our TerraLam® CLT product line is scalable, cost-competitive, and has the potential to rapidly decarbonize our built environment. An effective structural solution, it maintains compatibility with other materials in mass timber or hybrid applications for efficient integration into plans and projects. TerraLam CLT is domestically produced, renewable, and minimizes emissions associated with traditional construction while supporting local economies.

A HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVE TO COMMODITY MATERIALS

Timber buildings are healthier for the environment because wood materials store carbon throughout the life cycle of the building, instead of releasing it into the atmosphere to form carbon dioxide.

Building with forest products typically creates fewer emissions during the harvesting/extraction, manufacturing, and transportation cycle than other material types used in construction. With roughly 75% of carbon sequestered in a mass timber building being stored in floor and roof slabs, CLT in lateral applications is an excellent pathway to reducing the construction industry’s carbon footprint while leveraging the strength of engineered wood products.

CLT can play a multitude of roles in a structural system, either alongside steel and concrete in hybrid structures, or replacing them entirely: both are pathways to minimizing carbon impact in new construction. TerraLam CLT is a cost-competitive and user-friendly option that can bring structural strength and biophilic beauty into buildings of all budgets, sizes, and occupancy types.

READ MORE AT TALLWOOD DESIGN INSTITUTE
An illustration showing CO2 emissions: concrete at 500 lbs/m³, steel at 5100 lbs/m³, and CLT sequestering 300 lbs/m³.
Workers at a construction site guide a crane lifting a mass timber rectangular panel over a building frame, with trees and houses in the background under a clear blue sky.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY AND PROCUREMENT

TerraLam® CLT panels are built from Southern Pine, Spruce Pine Fir-South or Eastern Hemlock all grown and sourced in the United States. Sterling sources high-quality pine lumber from partners in the southeastern United States who are committed to renewable growing and harvesting practices. Through domestic and responsible sourcing, Sterling supports woodland economies. Our Terralam Southern Pine products are certified to Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards.

Our raw material order volume and strategic plant location also allows lumber to be delivered directly by rail to our manufacturing facility in Phoenix, IL. Using the rail network for transport is a strategic way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with supply chain freight.

MATERIAL HEALTH

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DECLARE

Sterling TerraLam panels are Declare® certified by the International Living Future Institute to be Red List Free. The Declare product database contains data on ingredient lists and manufacturing practices that are voluntarily submitted by manufacturers who are committed to transparency and healthier buildings.
View Terralam Declare Label
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EPD/LIFE CYCLE DATA

Our Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is available for AEC teams to measure their sustainability through whole-building life cycle assessment (LCA). EPDs are third-party verified reports detailing the environmental impacts products. We offer LCA support upon request.
Download Terralam EPD
An icon representing mass timber glulam, featuring stacked laminated wooden beams, illustrating the engineered wood product used for structural applications in construction.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INTIATIVE

Sterling supports regenerative forestry practices throughout its supply chain. We source 100% of our lumber from U.S. forests and are committed to traceability and accountability through the SFI Certified Source and Chain of Custody programs.
Download SFI Certificate
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LIVING BUILDING AND LEED

TerraLam panels are eligible for credits in the Materials Petal of the Living Building Challenge, as well as sourcing and material health areas in buildings in pursuit of LEED certification. Contact our team to learn how TerraLam can support your sustainable design goals.
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