On April 7, the Sustainable Furniture Council held a market seminar titled “Going Green: A 10-Step Program” for manufacturers and retailers. The seminar was presented by SFC board member Jeff Hiller, who spoke about issues surrounding carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation. The session concluded with the following 10 steps for making a business greener.
1. Ask suppliers questions. From where were these materials sourced? What’s the chain of custody?
2. Buy good wood. Manufacturers should try to use at least 5 percent FSC-certified wood. Retailers should pressure manufacturers to do so.
3. Use less energy. Perform an energy audit. Use compact fluorescent bulbs when applicable (for instance, in the back office, if not on the showroom floor where, Hiller admitted, such energy-saving lights might not show product to its best advantage).
4. Recycle packaging. Packaging accounts for 30 percent of all waste in U.S. landfills, according to Hiller. Currently, only 30 percent of packaging is recycled.
5. Sell less leather. Leather, which usually ships from South America to Italy to China to North America, entails huge transport costs.
6. Use/carry recycled/bio-based materials. These include soy foams, latex and water-based finishes.
7. Use less/better paper. “Better” paper, according to Hiller contains at least 30 percent post-consumer recycled material.
8. Procure materials locally. Hiller recommended obtaining raw materials within 250 miles of the point of use.
9. Have a plan. Large operations should create a green team with an executive-level position. Despite the seminar’s title, Hiller recommended not trying to do too much at once. “When you focus on a few things,” he said, “you will complete them all. When you focus on 10, very often you won’t complete any.”
10. Buy American. This supports the U.S. economy and, like step #8, requires less fuel, relative to importing product from overseas.
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