Furniture makers using earth-friendly products

Published 6:29 pm Saturday, April 12, 2008

Consumers shopping for environmentally friendly furnishings will have a wider selection than ever this year. Leaders in this market segment are employing both new technology and timeworn traditions to produce earth-friendly products for the home that deliver comfort, style and sustainability.

“Furniture makers take environmental responsibility very seriously,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA). “Many companies in our industry have a long tradition of conservation and environmental stewardship – and this commitment is part of the reason that manufacturers continue to have stable sources of U.S.-grown hardwoods for furniture production.”

But it is the flurry of research and the development of innovative, eco-friendly components over the past several years that has dramatically increased the selection of “green” home furnishings in today’s marketplace.

“There is amazing work being done on the development of everything from adhesives and foam to fabric and finishes,” Hirschhaut said. “The result is an impressive array of eco-friendly furnishings for 2009.”

On the foam front, manufacturers are increasingly turning to cushioning materials produced by replacing a portion of petroleum-based ingredients with a substitute that is made from a renewable source: soybeans. Cargill broke ground last year on a $22 million plant in Chicago to make its trademarked brand of this soybean-based ingredient – which they call BiOH. Cargill reports that for every 1 million pounds of BiOH that replaces traditional petroleum-based ingredients in upholstered furniture, approximately 2,200 barrels of crude petroleum is saved for other uses.

C. R. Laine is among the upholstery producers offering cushions constructed using bio-based foam. The company’s down2earth cushion upgrade has a seat cushion made from at least 20 percent natural plant-based materials such as soy or corn. The back cushions and throw pillows are filled with 100 percent post-consumer regenerated fibers – fibers that began as recycled plastic drink bottles.

All of the C.R. Laine’s upholstery is manufactured with frames made from sustainably-harvested hardwoods, water-based wood adhesives, and coil springs made from 50 percent recycled metal. But options this year also include a wider variety of eco-friendly fabrics, including those made from hemp. Unlike cotton, hemp requires no pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers – and very little water – making it one of the most environmentally friendly fibers in the world.

“With the classic look of linen and cotton, hemp is up to eight times stronger, making it the perfect world-friendly choice for home fashion,” said C.R. Laine’s Marketing Director, Holly Blalock.

Rowe Fine Furniture, based in McLean, Va., is another upholstery manufacturer that is spotlighting the use of innovative, eco-friendly materials in its upholstery lineup. “EcoRowe” includes bio-based foam in cushioning, but also an “Eco-Down” option that combines recycled fibers with a feather-and-down blend. Natural fiber fabrics include eight certified organic cottons, as well as hemp and a new bamboo/cotton blend.

Newton, N.C.-based Precedent Furniture also has made a commitment to produce more eco-friendly upholstery. “Sustainability is a work in progress,” says CEO Woody Williams. “We’re committed to monitoring the market for more sustainable materials and processes.”

Currently the company’s “ecocollection” features frames made from certified hardwoods; metal components made from recycled steel; fill materials from post-industrial, recycled polyester; cushions and foam made with 20 percent plant-based materials; water-based glues and finishes; and a range of fabrics made from recycled or organic materials.

Many wood furniture producers are likewise on the lookout for more environmentally friendly component options. However, for both domestic manufacturers and importers, finding sources of certified-sustainable lumber is the primary challenge.

Most forest certification programs were developed in the 1990s by professional foresters, conservationists and scientists.

These programs help ensure that the soil, air, water, wildlife and trees in a forest receive proper care, and that harvesting and replanting are kept in balance.

But less than 8 percent of the world’s timberland is certified, and only a small percentage of that is suitable for furniture production.

Copeland Furniture of Bradford, Vt., is able to meet the challenge by using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and sourced primarily from the Northern Forest, which is considered one of the healthiest in the world.

The FSC is one of the largest and most wellknown forest certifying organizations.

Copeland recently introduced its sixth furniture group constructed of FSC-certified solid maple. Copeland is a family-owned company that produces bedroom, dining room and home office furniture, sourcing 90 percent of the lumber for these furnishings from forests inside a 500-mile radius of its manufacturing plant.

Harden Furniture, another family-owned company, offers upscale furniture crafted from wood harvested from its own 20,000-acre woodland in upstate New York.

Certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, another certifying body, the 125-year-old company maintains its own on-site forestry division. Harden offers eco-friendly living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, and a new “built-to-order” line of wall systems and entertainment centers.

Eco-consciousness is taken to new heights at Vaughan-Bassett Furniture, a Galax, Va.-based manufacturer of bedroom furniture.

Through its “One for One” reforestation program, the company is contributing approximately 150,000 maple, oak, pine, poplar, ash and applewood seedlings to the Virginia Department of Forestry each year. In essence, the company has committed to planting one tree for every tree it harvests.

Vaughan-Bassett produces 96 percent of its product in its own factory in Galax, including its new “Authentically American” collection designed by Alexander Julian that arrived in retail stores last fall.

New for 2009 is “Cottage Colors,” another Alexander Julian design that includes youth bedroom furnishings in six painted finishes. Most of the wood for these collections comes from forest within 200 miles of the company’s plant.

“The addition of eco-friendly options in categories like youth furniture, home office and home entertainment is important,” AHFA’s Hirschhaut said. “More and more consumers are beginning to seek out ‘green’ home furnishings in their efforts to live in a more environmentally-responsible manner.”

In a 2007 national telephone survey conducted by AHFA, more than two-thirds (76 percent) of the respondents said they believe it is important to purchase earth-friendly home products.

Seventy-two percent of those consumers also said they would pay up to 10 percent more for an environmentally friendly piece of furniture.

According to this research, more than half (57 percent) of consumers are currently taking steps to make their homes more environmentally friendly. Not surprising, since nearly 70 percent of Americans say they are “very concerned” about the environment, according to a 2008 study conducted by DYG, a research company specializing in the study of trends in American attitudes, values and beliefs.

“Environmental concern has tipped from a fringe issue to a core issue,” said DYG’s Charles Kennedy.

The company’s 2008 study also found that whether a company is considered environmentally friendly is extremely important to 50 percent of American consumers when they’re selecting a company with which to do business.

Article is courtesy of The American Home Furnishings Alliance – the largest association of home furnishings companies in the world. It represents more than 200 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, as well as 225 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.