Century Furniture Gets SBD Registration

October 17, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on October 18, 2010

Century Furniture has achieved the American Home Furnishings Alliance's Sustainable by Design registration for its achievements in environmental stewardship.

"We are thrilled to achieve such an important recognition for our sustainability efforts," said Comer Wear, director of marketing and public relations for Century. "Our company has worked for many years to make the most of our resources and minimize our impact on the environment. Century's culture is one of setting standards of excellence that go beyond regulations. We continually strive to surpass our own best performance."
 
To enter the Sustainable by Design program Century first had to implement an environmental management program know as EFEC--Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture--which required all facilities to analyze the environmental impact of their operations. This resulted in improved management of resources and raw materials, reduced energy and water consumption, reduced waste and improved recycling efforts.
 
Sustainable by Design required the company to extend its culture of environmental stewardship throughout its global supply chain. For each key area on a checklist, Century established goals and a system for evaluating annual achievement. These key areas included: supply chain management, including assisting suppliers worldwide in the development and implementation of sustainability programs; using eco-friendly materials, including low VOC/low HAP coatings, certified lumber and low-emitting UF resins; global climate impact, including calculating a baseline carbon footprint; social responsibility, including policies defining the company's commitment to workers' rights and community relations in all areas of the world where Century does business.

Century's environmental consciousness is not new, according to Eric Schenk, president and CEO: "We have long been attentive to our impact on our local community. In recent years our attentions have become global, reflecting the international character of our customer and supplier bases."

Roger Jones, vice president of Global Logistics, believes the company's largest impact is in its purchase of the woods that go into Century's products.

"We focus a lot of attention on this single largest source of raw material," he said. "Century is committed to a responsible purchasing policy. We ask our suppliers to certify to us that their purchases are from sources they can trace and be able to reasonably prove the legality of the harvest. Our infrastructure goes beyond what the law requires, providing us with real, defensible data on our purchases around the world."

Century's first official environmental policy statement was issued in 1993, articulating beliefs and practices already in place. Since that time the company has continually raised the bar for managing its resources, eliminating waste, and reducing water and energy use.

"Our associates at every location and level have been highly involved, contributing ideas as well as executing them," Schenk said.