When you live and work in a part of the world where arctic winds come howling down from the polar icecaps all winter, you learn how to build exceedingly sturdy, energy efficient windows.

By using Douglas Fir as our standard wood species, we ensure that a certain imperviousness to the elements is built into our windows from the start. But we also take a number of extra steps to enhance this robust wood's naturally tough characteristics.

For instance, we treat all of our wood with a special sealant. This not only makes it even more water repellent and decay resistant; it helps stain and paint bond securely to the surface. And, because many of our customers choose metal clad exteriors, we offer durable extruded aluminum cladding in a rich palette of baked-on finishes.

In addition, Loewen uses thicker glass than other window manufacturers, making ours better insulated, more soundproof and more impact resistant. Equally important to the unmatched quality of our construction, however, is the enduring beauty of our designs. You see, our people don't just brainstorm; they are given the freedom to "trystorm" - the ultimate goal being the creation of innovative designs that keep abreast of current fashion trends, while simultaneously transcending them. So no matter what Loewen windows you select for your home, they will stand the test of time.

EVERY LOEWEN WINDOW AND DOOR MIRRORS A FASCINATING JOURNEY.

It began at the turn of the twentieth century on the lonely prairies of southern Manitoba. Here in the village of Steinbach, a group of Mennonite families, including the Loewens, had migrated from Russia.

Among the first things made by the Loewen millwork for the fast-growing community were humble items like church pews and bee-keeping equipment. But soon, windows and doors became our specialties.

Today, three generations later, Loewen is some 1500 employees strong - and creates elegantly wrought windows and doors for discriminating homeowners around the globe.

The key to our success is simple: while we've remained faithful to our roots - particularly in our deeply held traditional craft values and our work ethic - we've also grown to embrace new technologies and ideas from places as diverse as Europe, Japan, America and, of course, Canada.

We are a company where seeming opposites exist in harmony: the old and the new; delicate beauty and a steely toughness; and pride in craft tempered by an abiding humility. The result is windows and doors that possess a rich heritage, a striking beauty, even a kind of soul you won't find anywhere else in the world.

Loewen and the Environment
Environmental stewardship is closely aligned with many of the core values that are present in our company. Loewen is committed to this stewardship, in both our product and manufacturing processes.

• Loewen is the first major North American window and door manufacturer to receive Forest Stewardship Council chain of custody certification (SW-COC-1739) for Douglas Fir wood used in our fenestration products, allowing us to supply certified Douglas Fir windows and doors for building projects seeking LEED green building accreditation status. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) promotes environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests. Chain of custody certification provides a guarantee about the path taken by raw materials from the forest to the consumer, including all successive stages of processing, transformation, manufacturing and distribution. For more information, visit www.fsc.org.
• We manufacture only wood windows, thereby using a renewable resource, an efficient natural insulator and production methods that consume less energy than PVC.
• We recycle virtually all of the wood waste created in manufacturing. We also recycle glass, aluminium, vinyl weatherstrip, solvents, motor oil and paper. We even heat our plant with sawdust and sell the remainder to local
farms for animal bedding.
• While we actively seek to reduce-reuse-recycle, we understand the real world dynamics of downcycling and so we aggressively design systems that are optimally efficient in consumption and strive to produce windows of the highest quality so as to assure long product life. To this end, our products are made to be repaired and can even be removed and re-installed. Once again, product quality is at the crossroads of efficiency and responsible design.
• Our products are empirically shown to be among the industry’s best in terms of thermal performance (NFRC tested).
• We are the 2001 recipient of the Tree Canada Foundation Eterne Award, honouring us for “environmental leadership and commitment to taking action on global climate change through the planting of trees.”
• Loewen CEO Charles Loewen, is one of fourteen members of the Canadian Forest Sector Advisory Council, whose mandate is to work towards reduced CO2 emissions in the forest sector.
• The majority of the wood fibre used in the production of Loewen products is derived from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certified forestland.