Victor Stanley, Inc.
P.O. Drawer 330
Dunkirk, Maryland 20754 USA
Toll Free: (800) 368-2573 (USA & Canada)
Tel: (301) 855-8300
Fax: (410) 257-7579

Sales Department
E-mail: sales@victorstanley.com


“Manufacturers of Site Furnishings since 1962,” Victor Stanley’s “commercial site furniture includes litter receptacles, benches, ash urns, planters, tables and tree guards.”

According to their website, “thousands of installations of our products can be found throughout the United States, Canada and in more than twenty other countries. Our brochure is printed in twelve languages.

“We work with steel, cast ductile iron, numerous species of wood and recycled plastic. With about 180,000 square feet of manufacturing space, our two factories in Maryland utilize the most advanced computerized welding robots, state-of-the-art powder coating systems, and automated metalworking and woodworking equipment.

“Victor Stanley, Inc. has been granted U.S. patents and worldwide patents pending on a remarkable system to reinforce recycled plastic slats; a process that results in a product with superior mechanical properties. This process is our innovative response to the universal need to preserve resources and protect the environment.”

But Victor Stanley continues to sell uncertified rainforest woods, thus undermining any positive impact they may have with recycled plastic. The rainforest woods they sell are responsible for logging in pristine tropical forest — far and away the most biologically destructive activity on Earth.

Philippine Mahogany
“Our genuine Philippine mahogany…”

There is no such thing as ‘genuine’ Philippine mahogany – the name “Philippine mahogany” was suggested to the Philippine government in the 1960s by the US Forest Service as a way to sell more lauan. The name was applied to the tropical plywood, called lauan, that was streaming into the US from the Philippines, logging for which was responsible for 80% of the country’s deforestation. It is not even closely related to mahogany but the Forest Service rightly surmised that if it was called “mahogany” that more of it would be sold. Since then, the name has been confused with mahogany. There’s no way to know what species Victor Stanley is actually selling but it is likely in the Shorea genus. If it is coming from the Philippines, then there is a good likelihood that it has been illegally logged and loggers have used force and intimidation to cut trees on others’ private lands.

“Our genuine Philippine mahogany is a medium hardwood that ultimately weathers to a bright silver-gray patina.”

Ipe
“Ipe (pronounced ee-pay) is a light brown South American hardwood. Often thought of as South American teak, ipe is one of the strongest and hardest woods we have encountered.”

Ipe is mostly illegally logged and loggers are using murder, force and intimidation to log ipê from indigenous lands in the Amazon. For more on ipê, click here.



Teak

On their website, Victor Stanley claims their “teak comes from Thailand where it has been ‘cultivated, harvested, protected and crafted for hundreds of years.’”

Teak processed in and shipped from Thailand is now almost always teak that has originated in Burma, since Thailand instituted a logging ban in 1989 that included teak. If the teak is in fact originating from Thai forests, it has almost assuredly been logged illegally.

Victor Stanley makes furnishings with “classic teak designs with thicker components spaced closely” thus using even more wood. “Our mortise and tenon joinery uses genuine teak dowels for assembly.”

Victory Stanley claims their teak “comes from well-managed forests that enforce sustained-yield practices.” This is a joke. We assume VS folks have never been to the forests where the teak is being logged and if they have been shown a forest in Thailand, in all likelihood, the wood has not actually originated there.





Recycled Plastic
Victor Stanley also sells benches made with recycled plastic.

“2nd Site Systems® is truly a recycled material. The major raw material for the slats is post-consumer recycled plastic. The fabricated steel bar components are made of recycled scrap steel. These products fulfill both the concept and the spirit of creative recycling. Our attractive, durable slats offer superb design options. They feature molded-through color and UV resistance. They shed water, resist rot, and are easy to clean and highly stain-resistant.”


Send a message to Victor Stanley and urge them to shift to only selling alternative materials and no longer making wood from endangered forests available.