In 1979, Bona made history by innovating the first waterborne finish for wooden floors. This safer way to refinish floors improved working conditions for flooring contractors by significantly reducing exposure to solvents that can be detrimental to health. Today, waterborne finishes are considered an industry best practice.

Since our earliest days of innovating our products, we've made every effort to preserve our planet's precious water resources. In addition to reducing water usage across all facilities, we avoid components that could have negative effects on water quality, or the reproduction of aquatic life.

Renewable raw materials were introduced with the first generation of Bona Mega in 1995. Bona based the product on vegetable oils that cross-link after application with the help of oxygen from the air. This technology has enabled Bona to develop strong finishes with high performance, and a low impact on the environment. Bona Mega has become the most widely-used finish in the world for wooden floors.

Refinishing or renovating rather than replacing hardwood floors is at the core of Bona’s business. We've recently extended this focus to other flooring materials, such as resilient, linoleum and rubber. By refinishing or resurfacing a floor - rather than replacing the flooring material - we can prevent it from ending up in a landfill site. Also, Bona has developed products to extend the life of a floor, such as the flagship Bona Traffic hardwood floor finish. Refinishing and resurfacing a floor less often, also lengthens the surface’s life.

Air quality is another important factor for a healthier and safer planet. Bona conducts stringent testing on all our products to ensure a reduced or minimal release of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) into the air. For example, Bona waterborne finishes exceed all VOC standards across the globe. Additionally, Bona advocates for healthy indoor air quality, with innovations in products and machines, such as dust containment systems that virtually eliminate dust from the hardwood floor sanding process.

Across the globe, Bona is working with legislative and standards groups to ensure that we not just meet requirements, but often exceed them. Whenever possible, we also work with governing and standards groups to develop testing, policies and protocols so that others can learn from our research.

From shifting transportation modes to installing solar panels, to encouraging employees to bike to work, Bona is very conscious of our carbon emissions. For example, by switching from road to rail in our transportation of goods from Sweden to Germany, we've reduced carbon emissions by 60%.