Furniture Industry Set To Go Green
For years, the threat of global warming has been predicted by scientist to become increase. Unfortunately, there were only a few who heeded the call for more eco-friendly products. Today though, the awareness regarding climate change has increased. This increase in awareness has paved the way for different industries to produce green technologies and products.
The furniture industry is also taking strides in joining the ranks of industries battling global warming. Heading this initiative is furniture importer Palecek. The company pointed out that retailers can support the sustainable furniture movement without sacrificing profits. Allan Palecek expressed his message to retailers at the Sustainable Furniture Council meeting in Atlanta recently.
Held at the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, the meeting is centered on informing retailers on what they can do to balance support for sustainability and profits. Palecek pronounced that there is a way to keep a balance between the two. He said that it is possible especially with consumers also becoming aware of the threat of climate change. Palecek also went on to say that this awareness is more apparent on younger generation of buyers.
“The job for you is to understand and to help educate the consumer,” said Palecek during the conference. The consumer needs to be aware of what is going on…There is an opportunity for younger people to get behind this.”
During his speech at the said event Palecek related that his company started out with manufacturing bamboo baskets way back in the 70s. And as part of the company’s dedication towards a sustainable future, they started offering products made from sustainable materials such as sea grass, wicker, rattan, and abaca. With the diversity in materials used for their products, the company was able to stay true to their commitment of protecting the environment.
“I brought this kind of material to the marketplace and people responded to it,” said Palecek. “Recycling and using sustainable products go hand in hand. It makes all the sense in the world,” he added.
Although Palecek said that there are ways through which furniture manufacturers can balance sustainability and profit, he said that there is still room for improvement. He pointed out that in packaging of items, plastics are still being used. Foams are also potentially dangerous to the environment and are also used in packaging furniture and other related goods such as crane mirrors.
“There is an unbelievable amount of energy wasted for packaging – it’s billions of dollars,” said Palecek. “Some of it is recycled, but for the most part, it is wasted product,” he added.
During the SFC meeting, setting a standard can help retailers tell their consumers which products are manufactured without harming the environment. This shows that the industry is working hard to make the world a better place for future generations.
Sustainable Modular Office Furniture Can Make Your Work Place Green!
I know that green is in these days, and I don’t mean the color, but living green as in environmentally friendly. For those of us who thought doing something good for the environment meant recycling our milk cartons, cereal boxes and tomato sauce cans and riding our bike occasionally, the extent of the “green” industry may be a bit of a surprise. Not only can you build your home to be “green”, but you can also get “green furniture”. There are even companies who use “green” modular office furniture.
As a matter of fact, Canada has a Sustainable Building Task Force that finalized groundbreaking environmental specs for modular office furniture purchased under state contract. Several modular furniture manufacturers bid on the contract, which goes to show that companies did not find the idea outlandish and many of them had used sustainable practices for decades. A three year contract, from 2001 to 2004 was awarded to a US company, with the idea to reevaluate and upgrade the contract after that time.
So what was Canada looking for in their sustainable modular office furniture? Well, among other requirements, some specifications included a high level of recycled content in components and packaging, no CFCs and HCFCs used in foam production, and energy efficient lighting in the work stations.
Modular office furniture and other items in the green building industry are rated. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has a Green Building Rating System. This is a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of green buildings. According to the LEED web site:
“LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures. All certified projects receive a LEED plaque, which is the nationally recognized symbol demonstrating that a building is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.”
LEED looks at five key areas of human and environmental health, and one of those categories is indoor environmental quality, and this includes how the building is furnished. There are more ways that your modular office furniture can be environmentally friendly that you may realize. LEED looks at the materials and resources of the furniture. This includes:
* The amount of packing material used to deliver the items to the site. Is each piece individually boxed, or is it delivered in a large truck wrapped in blankets?
* How much recycled content is in you modular office furniture?
* Is it regionally manufactured (i.e. – within 500 miles of the job site to cut down on gas transmissions)?
* Are renewable materials used in the furniture? Products made from plants that mature in 10 years or less decreases the impact on forests and longer life cycle plants.
* Are the adhesives and finishes used on the modular office furniture nontoxic? This helps to reduce harmful VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) from the office.
Many companies find that with a little effort, they can start to take steps to make their furniture more environmentally friendly. After all, the environment is not improved by one person or company doing great things, but everybody doing a little bit.
Now, you may be wondering what this type of modular office furniture looks like, after all, cubicles can already look and feel like a box! But you would be surprised. Overall, most people wouldn’t even know that your furniture is sustainably manufactured or made from partially recycled materials. Often times, items that have been remanufactured cost less, and some is quite modern and chic. I bet most people would be impressed and wonder where they could get some too!
