Green Homes Special Series: Part Eleven: Furniture

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Research by the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) out of High Point, N.C., reveals three interesting points about consumers purchasing furniture: 1.) they are quick to show interest when the subject of sustainability is raised, 2.) buying from local manufacturers and smaller enterprises is appealing and 3.) there is a perception that furnishings made in the U.S. are more durable. Changing Furniture Scene The green movement has emerged as the most compelling story in furniture Furnature’s organic transitional sofa has a frame of hard rock maple, is covered in wool colored with low-impact dye and has natural latex and wool fillers. over the last year or two, according to Jeff Hiller, owner of PROaction Marketing Group in Austin, Texas, and founding board member and marketing chair for the Sustainable Furniture Council in Chapel Hill, N.C. The green idea, he says, is driving the industry to manufacture, bring to market and sell products in a manner that minimizes negative environmental effects, is socially responsible in the treatment of workers and allows the business to make a fair profit while supporting local communities. A non-profit coalition of home furnishings manufacturers, importers, retailers, designers and major nongovernmental organizations, the SFC is spearheading the commitment to promoting sustainable practices. The SFC was founded in October 2006 and published the first comprehensive set of industry sustainability standards based on the LEED model in commercial building. It is the first and largest organization of its kind, with nearly 250 members, including representatives of the World Wildlife Fund and Rainforest Alliance. Its mission is education—to increase awareness, assist development and bring to market products that meet the consumer mandate for style, value and eco-responsibility. The AHFA has also taken a role. AHFA Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Jaclyn C. Hirschhaut says that “in the past few years, a number of companies that utilize renewable, natural raw materials in their home furnishings products have contributed to a wave of eco-friendly wood and upholstered products available in retail stores. At the same time, our trade association is leading a growing number of manufacturers and importers through a process of improving their sustainable business practices and reducing their environmental footprint.” Imaginative Responses While there is no standard definition yet for a “green” product, certain attributes arise, which include independent third-party verification; use of renewable, reclaimed, recycled or sustainably harvested materials; little or no use of chemicals; local sourcing; and socially and environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. The marketplace has been imaginative and responsive. Here are a few examples. Health-driven concerns. A customer's need for a healthy home environment gave one Boston area company a new direction. Barry Shapiro, the fourth generation in the Brighton Upholstering and Brighton Mattress Company, said the company got a request for a custom sofa from a woman with a compromised immune system who could not tolerate ordinary furniture.

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