ResponsibleGuitar.pdf

8/11/2019 ResponsibleGuitar.pdf

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Individuals, companies and countries arefeeling the ecological and economic impactof tropical rainforest destruction, temperate

forest mismanagement, global warmingand species endangerment.

Martin Guitar customerssometimes inquire about what

we as a company are doing tocontribute to the preservationand management of naturalresources.

At Martin Guitar, we formalized our

long-standing ecological policy in 1990.Our ongoing program embraces the judiciousmanagement and responsible use oftraditional natural materials and encouragesthe introduction of alternative wood species.

We take great pride in being a pioneerin our industry in this important area.

Our research led to the introductionand widespread acceptance of guitarsutilizing structurally sound woods

with natural cosmetic characteristicsformerly considered unacceptable. We striveto be a responsible environmental leader inour industry and educate our customersthrough wood use efficiency and our

introduction of numerous alternativewood guitars.

We are 100% committed to followingthe directives of the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES) treaty as the governing

authority on endangered speciesand the U.S. Lacey Act, a long

standing wildlife trafficking

statute, which was amended inmid 2008 by Congress toinclude banning the import, saleor trade in illegally harvested

wood and forest products.



Through the SmartWood (CM) program ofthe Rainforest Alliance, we achieved ForestStewardship Council (FSC) chain of custody

certification from November 1997 throughDecember 2004 and we were recertified inNovember 2007. In the interim, we initiatedour own Sustainable Wood Guitar Seriesprogram.

In our ongoing effort to seek viablealternatives to rare wood, we havevigorously researched and implementedalternative materials that are well suited forguitars, among them: patented high-pressure

laminates (HPL) for the popular X Seriesand Little Martin guitars; aluminum tops forthe ALternative X models; Stratabondlaminate for neck blanks; Micarta, a uniquefiber laminate, for fingerboards and bridges;

and a shell laminate called AbaLam thatgreatly increases the yield of preciousabalone and mother of pearl for decorativeinlays.

S t a t em en t o

f P h i l o

s o ph y

(FAR LEFT) SWDGT,Sustainable Wood Series

guitar made fromenvironmentally friendlyalternative woods.

3 Cherry Uke,the first Martinwith all FSC certifiedwood content.

# SW-COC-000043The FSC Trademark identifies

products from well-managedforests. © 1996 FSC A.C.



At Martin Guitar, we encourage and actively pursue the use of alternativeand substitute species of woods:

For several years, we have been at the forefront intone testing and the development of alternatives foracoustic guitar construction, having introduced newmodels that utilize domestic woods such as ash,maple, walnut, cherry and red birch, as well asEngelmann spruce, larch and Western red cedar. Wecontinue this experimentation and attempt to educatedealers and customers about the aesthetic and tonalviability of alternative woods.

Martin Guitar takes a strong stand:

We are committed to sourcing wood and wood fiberproducts that avoid the following circumstances:• Illegally harvested wood• Wood harvested in violation of traditional and

civil rights• Wood harvested in forests where high conservation

values are threatened by management activities• Wood harvested in forests being converted to

plantations or non-forest use• Wood from forests in which genetically modified

trees are planted

We favor legislation that would control the unlimitedover-harvest of old-growth timber. In addition, weoppose clear cutting and the burning of tropical timberto create grazing and farm land.

We favor a ban of U.S. log exports to create morevalue-added employment and to achieve greatercontrol of our domestic resources.

We oppose the purchase or use of ivory or other rawmaterials derived from endangered animal species.We refuse requests for these materials on any of ourinstruments and actively promote the use of alternativematerials for such components.



Martin Guitar opposesthe waste of wood:

Although we purchase only the highest quality

materials available, occasionally stock thatwe have purchased does not make the highgrade required for a Martin guitar. Thesecomponents are resold to other woodworkers,luthiers or craftspeople at our Guitarmaker’sConnection supply shop. In addition, we utilizesmaller pieces of wood on 3-piece backmodels, LX “Little Martin” models and theunique Backpacker travel guitars. Wood scrapsand sawdust too small for use are isolatedfor proper recycling and energy use.

Martin Guitar supportsecological programs:

We encourage and support vendors of woodthat conduct responsible forest management

and reforestation. We advocate reputable,global third party certification programs, suchas the FSC, that verify forestry practices andsources as being well managed andsustainable.

We recycle paper products (computer paper,shipping cartons, phone books, etc.) so thatthe unnecessary harvest of trees for paperpulp is reduced. In addition, all Companycatalogs and literature are printed on FSCcertified paper stock with biodegradable inks.Other manufacturing materials such asaluminum, brass and copper are recycledas well.

Conserving energy is a priority in our buildingimprovement projects and daily operatingpractices. In many production and office areas,special lighting is activated only whencoworkers are present.

C om p

an yP o

l i ci e s

The MusicWood Coalition in Alaska(left to right) - Larry Edwards and Scott Paulof Greenpeace, Nick Colesanti of Martin Guitar,Rob Stangelini of Fender, Bob Taylor of TaylorGuitars and Dave Berryman of Gibson standingwith Sitka spruce.

(photo courtesy of Nick Colesanti)



Several of our

most popularmodels aremade with athree-piece back(OMC Red Birch

model shown)

X Series andLittle Martin®

models are madefrom patentedhigh-pressurelaminates (HPL)(00CXAEBLACK

model shown)

Backpacker®

instruments aremade fromsmaller piecesof qualityhardwoods(Steel String

model shown)



At Martin Guitar, we have joined otherguitar manufacturers in the GreenpeaceMusicWood initiative. The partnership’sflagship program is to encourage sustainablemanagement and logging of Sitka spruce insouthern Alaska, and they have recently

begun to focus on Ebony and Rosewoodsources in Madagascar. For more informationon this project, go to: www.musicwood.org.We also purchase wood reclaimed from Sitkaspruce logs destined to be ground for paper

pulp or shipped overseas for construction.

We source mahogany and Spanish cedarharvested from conservation-minded vendorsin regions where the environmental impactis the least felt. All our mahogany is 100%

CITES certified prior to entry into the UnitedStates.

India has been one of the world leaders inresponsible forest management and the

cutting of existing East Indian rosewoodstands in India is strictly regulated. We havebeen fortunate that East Indian rosewood forguitar backs and sides, harvested primarilyfrom trees that shade tea plantations, isparticularly well managed through carefully

regulated government auctions.

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EFFECTIVE APRIL 2009 © 2009 C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.All rights reserved. “Martin,” “C. F. Martin & Co., Est.

1833” “Little Martin” and “Backpacker” are trademarksused by C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. Backpacker instruments

are produced under a manufacturing license from

McNally Instruments, Rockaway, NJ. Model specificationssubject to change without notice. Visit our website at

martinguitar.com for the most current product information.

Printed in the USA. 0809-12 17MR09

P.O. Box 329, Nazareth, Pennsylvania 18064(610) 759-2837 | martinguitar.com

There will always be a demand for high quality wood guitars,but availability will define the materials thatare used in instruments of the future. Weintend to continue to lead our industry byconducting our business in the mostenvironmentally responsible way whilecontinuing to offer our customers thehighest level of quality in the guitarswe produce.

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ResponsibleGuitar.pdf