CPSC Chief of Staff to Address Sustainablity Summit

February 12, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on February 13, 2012

Matthew Howsare, chief of staff for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, will address furniture industry issues at the Feb. 22-23 AHFA Sustainability Summit in Raleigh, N.C.

Howsare's topics will include an update on the federal upholstered furniture flammability standard and the impact of the growing environmental backlash focused on flame retardant chemicals.

Registration remains open for the 2012 Sustainability Summit, sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance(http://www.ahfa.us) and dedicated to advancing sustainable business practices in the home furnishings industry.

Best practices that help companies meet their sustainability objectives in a manner that supports their overall business goals is the focus of the Summit, being held at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel in Raleigh, N.C.

Registration for the 2012 Sustainability Summit is available online here under EVENTS. Registration is $325 for AHFA members and $500 for non-members. The AHFA rate is also available to members of the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

Titled "Racing Beyond Expectations: Best Practices Fueling the Industry€™s Sustainability Successes," the Summit opens at 9 a.m. on Feb. 22 with keynote speaker Michael Lynch, managing director of NASCAR Green Innovation. Since 2008, Lynch has built the largest recycling program in sports, diverting more than 1,000 tons of material from landfills in 2011. In addition to extensive recycling, the program includes introducing biofuels to all three of NASCAR's major races and working to popularize environmental behavior within NASCAR's estimated audience of 75 million people.

Additional Summit presentations on Feb. 22 include:
* Green Innovations Changing the Industry Right Now: Furniture Packaging from Ultra-Rapid Renewables. At its manufacturing facility in Green Island, N.Y., Ecovative produces innovative packaging material out of cotton-seed hulls and mushroom roots. Steelcase is using Ecovative€™s sustainable packaging to replace expanded polystyrene previously used to ship ready-to-assemble office furniture €“ a solution that provides better protection and far less environmental impact for the same cost. Ecovative co-founder, Sam Harrington, will offer Summit attendees a quick course on €œultra-rapid renewables€ and explain their current application for furniture packaging €“ as well as some intriguing raw material applications for the furniture industry being explored by Ecovative R&D.
* Powering Toward Zero Waste: Ramping Up Recycling. Thomas Bean was the sustainability team manager for Hickory Springs Manufacturing until the success of that company€™s recycling initiatives led him to form his own company last year. EarthWay Global was formed with the specific intent of processing waste streams derived from the home furnishings industry. The company is tackling solutions to the industry€™s toughest waste challenges, including packaging foams, fabric waste, and pallet and wood waste. Bean will address these challenges and lead a discussion focused on solutions. 
* Accelerate Energy Savings. Increased efficiency is the best way to improve the bottom line and environmental performance. But, beyond high efficiency lighting, where can home furnishings companies find new energy efficiencies? Trebor Davis, energy consultant with Southpoint Solutions, Charlotte, will explain the latest advancements and describe new technology just coming to the market.
* Best Ideas: Sauder Woodworking--The Case for Sustainability Reporting. Many home furnishings companies are finding that financial reporting alone no longer satisfies investors, governments, supply-chain partners and consumers. Today, these stakeholders also want information on sustainability initiatives. More than 2,500 organizations around the world measure and disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate change strategies through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Sauder Woodworking, the 2011 Sage Award winner, is one of them. The company€™s executive vice president for operations, Garrett Tinsman, who recently completed Sauder€™s first annual Sustainability Report, will describe the tangible business benefits of sustainability reporting.
* Best Ideas: Crypton Fabrics--The Benefits of Third-Party Certifications.  In addition to seeking third party certification for its textile products, Crypton Fabrics has been an industry leader in helping to develop the Sustainability Assessment for Commercial Furnishings Fabric. The company's vice president of research and development, Hardy Sullivan, will describe the use of industry-wide standards and certifications for commercial upholstery and discuss their potential use in the residential sector.
* Best Ideas: FBN and Century Furniture Case Histories. David Stout, director of environmental compliance, will describe the implementation of the EFEC environmental management system across the many brands and operating facilities of Furniture Brands International. Keith Nichols, plant manager for Century Furniture, will describe the challenges and opportunities experienced while meeting requirements of AHFA's Sustainable by Design program.
Following a day of practical strategies for powering environmental initiatives beyond expectations, the Summit program will turn to regulatory issues that are related to environmental management. AHFA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Bill Perdue will open the program on Feb. 23 with an overview of current regulatory issues related to environmental management.

In addition to Howsare from CPSC, key presenters throughout the day include:
* Brent McClendon, executive vice president of the International Wood Products Association, who will discuss his organization's efforts to amend the Lacey Act in ways that will protect law-abiding businesses and individuals while preserving the integrity of the law. He'll explain what the IWPA is doing, what's happening on Capitol Hill, and what companies can expect in 2012.
* Alex Katz, research associate in the New Jersey office of UL Responsible Sourcing, who will address new regulations governing supply chain transparency--regulations that h've moved "social responsibility" to the forefront of the sustainability discussion in corporate America. Katz helped author AHFA€™s new Responsible Sourcing Manual and Country Risk Profiles.
* Jim Chester, CEO of Assured Products Group, who will present a cost-effective plan for tracking and storing supply chain compliance documentation for all environmental and safety regulations. The program helps prevent superfluous testing expenses and ensures required documentation is in place if regulators come calling.
AHFA's discounted room block at the Renaissance Raleigh North Hills Hotel is sold out. However, rooms are readily available at comparable rates at several nearby hotels. Call AHFA at 336.881.1006, for more information.