Busch, a climate specialist and an NKBA Global Connect Advisor, will headline the new Materials Pavilion at KBIS.
By Dianne M. Pogoda
In an effort to drive awareness and turn it into action on sustainability and climate-friendly sourcing and practices, NKBA | KBIS, along with sustainability expert Kenn Busch, will introduce a Materials Pavilion at KBIS 2025, Feb. 25 to 27.
Busch, founder of the Material Intelligence platform and Climate Positive NOW, is spearheading the programming and content for the pavilion, at the Material Intelligence Booth SL7196, in the South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Co-exhibitors include American Renolit Corp., Profol, Riken USA Corp., Stevens Industries Inc., and Uniboard.
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Besides his expertise in sustainable products and practices for the building industry, Busch is a journalist and presenter of certified CEUs to the design, woodworking, and furniture sectors. He’s been writing about the furniture industry since 1990, and started developing CEUs for architects and designers using his materials and production experience in the early 2000s.
“As I started to actually present and deliver CEUs to A&D audiences, I quickly realized that they would benefit from a more focused, third-party resource that approached materials education in a format that followed the kinds of questions they would always ask,” Busch related. “That’s how Material Intelligence came about, as a website, as an editorial service, and as a content producer for suppliers.”
When sustainability began emerging as a key element in specification about 15 years ago, Busch’s research into the wood products industry revealed something he found “incredible.”
“The natural properties of wood make it the only material that stores so much naturally captured carbon that it more than offsets carbon released by all of the processes that convert trees into cabinets,” he explained. “Wood products are carbon-negative, or in more modern terms, climate-positive. Trees absorb CO2 as they grow, and we know that the chemical makeup of wood products, by weight, is 50 percent naturally captured carbon. The average North American kitchen uses about 1,200 lbs. of wood, so we know that it’s storing about 600 lbs. of carbon. Experts estimate that this is about 200 lbs. more carbon than we release into the atmosphere as we harvest trees, convert them into lumber and engineered wood, and use that wood to build cabinetry.”
He also found that the wood industry was not telling this story effectively to the industry or consumers, and this inspired him to develop a compelling story for the wood products industry, that its materials are indeed climate positive.
This led to him founding Climate Positive NOW, an educational messaging project inspired by a combination of research into the sustainability of architectural materials, and decades of experience delivering educational content to interior designers and architects. The Materials Pavilion offers an opportunity for architects, designers, and other specifiers to learn about, touch, feel, and experience the materials for themselves.
Busch, who is also an NKBA Global Connect Advisor, will be presenting at the Global Connect Lounge as well as moderating a panel on the KBIS NEXT Stage. He aims to engage attendees and learn about their design challenges, share details on the samples he’s showing, tell them the Material Intelligence sustainability story, and ask them for feedback on how to do better.
He discussed the goals of the Materials Pavilion at KBIS and the current state of sustainability in the U.S.
NKBA: What is the main concept behind the Materials Pavilion at KBIS?
Kenn Busch: Our goal is to show KBIS attendees some of the latest and greatest material innovations that provide more sustainable options for kitchens, baths, and closets. New designs, new surface materials, better durability, and less harm to the environment — all features that KBIS attendees and NKBA members say they’re looking for.
It’s important that we are showing all of these materials together with our partner Northern Contours, a leading cabinet door and component supplier. They’re launching a line of more sustainable products at this show and are ready to take the lead on educating designers and cabinet makers on the better choices that are now available in North America. Seeing the materials on their own is one thing, but seeing how they look on finished components helps the industry better visualize how they can use them on their own products and projects.
NKBA: What do you hope to accomplish at KBIS? What programming will you be presenting?
Kenn Busch: Accomplish? Saving the world! Our goal is to plant a flag at this all-important show for materials and sustainability education, because this industry has the power to move the needle on sustainability. But to do that, we need to frame the conversation in a way that is educational, inspirational, and easy to share.
We hope to leave visitors with a better understanding of the positive impacts of wood and engineered wood products. We have the materials, we have the technology, we have the designs, and we can get there without starting over…what we’re already doing is awesome. We just have to do more of it.
NKBA: Where is the U.S./North American market in terms of sustainability, and where are we in comparison to Europe or other international markets?
Kenn Busch: We are a little bit behind these other markets. Europe has an edge on the logistics necessary to run effective recycling programs. The cultural zeitgeist is also more focused on sustainability, especially in Germany and in Scandinavian countries. Because of this, I’ve seen more sustainable material options become the industry standard more quickly than in North America, even when they cost a bit more. Europeans demand more from their “kitchen furniture,” and are also accustomed to spending a bit more for it. That equation includes expectations of high quality, less environmental impact, and increased functionality.
NKBA: What steps can we take to achieve our sustainability goals?
Kenn Busch: It’s about doing a better job of communicating where we’re at now, what we can expect to achieve in the future, and bringing designers and consumers along on this journey. It’s important to first agree on what we mean by sustainability. In my extensive work with designers and architects, I’ve learned that there are many different ways to frame this topic, which might better be expressed under the umbrella of “health and wellness.”
These include:
• The use of virgin or recycled raw materials
• Impacts on ecosystems
• Packaging, transportation
• Ease of manufacturing, installation
• Replacement of less sustainable materials
• Durability, longevity, ease of care/maintenance
• Carbon offsets and sequestration
• Circularity/end-of-life
NKBA: What specifically does this mean for K&B?
Kenn Busch: This is a daunting task, because we work mostly with wood, the only construction material that sequesters more carbon than is released in its production and use. It requires less energy to manufacture than any other material, it’s infinitely renewable, and it can be recycled. I believe we should begin with carbon footprint, since this is the only widely used science-based metric that allows us to compare different material options. So, I’d say the first step and biggest challenge in becoming a more sustainable industry is to share the climate-positive story of wood products — throughout the entire value chain, from lumber companies to panel producers to cabinet maker to designers — and to begin to move away from design and building materials that have negative impacts on the climate. This also helps consumers understand that they’re part of moving the needle. A healthy cabinet industry supports healthy forests, and healthy forests are good for everyone.
