Vendors still thinking green
Jenny Heinzen York -- Home Accents Today, 9/28/2010 3:17:47 AM
THE TREND TOWARD ecofriendly products continues in the home accents industry, but the overall momentum is also evolving into a more eco-conscious direction for production, waste and materials.
The movement has become so mainstream that the ARTS Awards has added a new category to its roster of honors. The new Green Award recognizes manufacturers for excellence in eco-friendly practices and standards and celebrates the accomplishments of a manufacturer that has exemplified or exceeded the standards of sustainability in the home industry.
"The addition of the Green Award celebrates sustainability and encourages manufacturers to be proactive and environmentally friendly," said Cindy Morris, COO, Dallas Market Center.
This year's Green nominees are Antonini Outdoor North America, Corbett Lighting, Guildmaster, Hubbardton Forge, Loloi Rugs, Seasonal Living, Somerset Studios and The Phillips Collection.
"The Green category was created with the desire to recognize and reward companies that have made an effort towards sustainability best practices," said Sharon Davis, executive director of the Accessories Resource Team. "Presenting the Green Award is ART's way of encouraging decorative accessory companies to be more environmentally conscientious and to be aware of their place and responsibilities in the manufacturing community."
One of the leaders on that front - and a finalist for the award, is The Phillips Collection, which does about 50% of its products in the "green" arena, according to Jason Phillips, vice president and creative director.
The company's eco-friendly pieces include reclaimed root and slab tables, and many of the pieces in the line use low-VOC finishes and innovative castings using crushed limestone and water-based glues.
Phillips told Home Accents Today that his company's green products are performing better overall than the rest of the line, and his sales force use it as a selling point because customers are "absolutely" asking for them.
Two's Company's Tom Zimmerman said that while his company only does about 10% in green, customers are asking for more. Two's Company focuses on recycled and reused materials in its green products, he said, with an eye toward the playful. "We attempt to extend the life of materials like motherboard, opener tabs from cans, computer wire and refurbished car tires to create whimsical and functional items such as picture frames, journals or carry-alls," he said. "The selling point is that recycling and extending the life of materials is a culture change that is taking hold."
According to William White, vice president of accent furniture producer Gabby, "We are passionate about breathing new life into old materials with creative design."
The Gabby line uses reclaimed pine, fir and elm salvaged from old structures and antique doors. Use of such materials is not only ecologically desirable, but useful from a design standpoint, he said, because these aged materials "deliver a rich patina and character that only aged wood can provide."
Joe Manus, founder of newcomer Shiner, which produces a line of accent furniture, lamps and lighting made out of recycled cardboard, reclaimed woods and other eco-friendly materials, is a born-again contractor who came to his new career by chance.
"I had been in construction for 10 years building really high-end interiors for commercial spaces," Manus said.
"When construction tanked with the economy - I had the manpower, the machinery and the shop space; I had everything we needed - so literally one day I walked in and said, ‘We don't make restaurants any more - we make lamps and furniture.'"
As with many successful entrepreneurs, his business grew from personal pastimes.
"It really started out as a hobby," Manus said. "I liked making things out of salvaged materials, so I started going to large manufacturers and said, ‘I want all your waste materials.'" I ended up with tractor-trailer loads of what I call ‘bastard materials' - scrap woods, plywoods, plastics.
"I call myself an accidental environmentalist," Manus said. "I see myself more as resourceful. If I see a bunch of waste laying around, I see what I can do with it. It turned out that people really liked the environmental impact. So now, I'm making up for lost time - I've not been the most conscious environmentalist."
Deanne Bronikowski of Design Legacy By Kelly O'Neal, said her company makes every effort to use recycled and repurposed goods in its line of decorative accessories and accent furniture.
"All of our frames are made of reclaimed wood, so that we're not harming any more forests than we have to," she said.
Design Legacy also offers a line of hardwood flooring and case goods that are made of wood from torn-down buildings in India. A lot of the original paint remains intact on the pieces. "It brings to life to what it was once," she said.
The issue of certification is one that continues to puzzle, though recent efforts by the Sustainable Furnishings Council and other organizations have helped provide more clarity.
"Certification is an uphill battle but worth the effort," Phillips said. "We are active SFC members. Customers are very savvy and often educate us. This is new territory for everyone and we are paving the new realities and responsibilities together. I find most people are now comfortable with terms like SFC, FSC, LEED, VOC and CARB."
Zimmerman agreed that there is a lot of learning to be done on both sides of the wholesale/retail equation. "Our experience is that while this knowledge is growing in the marketplace however it is still only a small portion of the overall market," he said.
Of course, being green is about more than just product. Matters of shipping, packaging, waste disposal, etc., are all part of the process of truly being green.
"We are consolidating countries where we do business," Phillips said. "We used to source from a dozen countries and that means more flights to check on production and a whole slew of other issues. We now proudly state we are only working in Thailand and the Philippines.
"Additionally, we are nearly paperless," he continued. "We host annual Plant a Tree events where each member of our staff participates and plants a tree on our property - not only adding our small part to air quality and filtration but also to shade our warehouse, preventing overheating and lightening the load on our air conditioning system. Every aspect of our operations had been re-analyzed, from packaging to freight to office processes. It's not an overnight change, but when we have a decision to make, we choose green, no matter what."
Gabby has also joined forces with an organization called Plant It 2020, White said. Gabby contributes the funds to plant a tree for every order the company receives.
The indigenous trees are planted by Plant It 2020 in specified non-harvest areas in countries of need around the world. At Shiner, all the waste from the factory is picked up and converted to bio-diesel, so it's a nearly zero-waste operation, Manus said.
Gabby's parent company, Summer Classics, also follows a green manufacturing philosophy.
"Summer Classics is committed to furthering its efforts to become an environmentally responsible company," according to a statement from the company. "We strive to manufacture products using processes that have the least impact on the environment while increasing the sustainability of our outdoor furniture, which already exceeds industry performance and quality standards.
"Summer Classics is ever-mindful of its responsibility to protecting the environment," the statement continued. "Current efforts include the specification of nano-ceramic finishing technology, which requires less energy by utilizing cold-water wash systems and makes use of chemicals that are both nontoxic and reusable, thereby eliminating any harmful waste. Our resin and aluminum products are 100% recyclable, and all pre-consumer resin and aluminum scraps produced during manufacturing are recycled onsite. Additionally, the powder-coated paints used in all processes are recyclable and reused during finishing."
On an positive note, some of the hottest looks in consumer goods happen to have ecological advantages as well.
"A very encouraging new trend is matte finishes," Phillips said. "Using natural waxes or leaving surfaces untreated is always better for the environment than even the lowest- VOC or water-based finishes. I have seen the trend in the auto and luxury industries; untreated wood trim in new Porsches and natural bangles from Tiffany."
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