Maria Yee Opens Eco-Friendly China Factory

May 30, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on May 2007 Maria Yee, a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based home furnishings manufacturer, has opened a 350,000-square-foot factory in Hunan, China, it calls one of the most eco-friendly and energy efficient manufacturing facilities in that country.

The new factory is the first industrial building in China to use energy efficient hydronic radiant heating, which requires less energy with water warmed by low-emission boilers to eliminate the exhaust created by forced-air heating systems. The factory also is equipped with 14 huge skylights that conserves 43 percent of the energy it would normally consume using electrical lighting alone. The factory also is among the first in China equipped to produce environmentally friendly water-based finishes to produce what the company calls EcoLuxury home furnishings products.

“A truly green product is not merely the outcome of its raw materials,” said CEO Peter Yee. “It undergoes a complete process guided by daily environmental principles. Employing hydronic radiant heating on such a large scale and innovatively using natural light in lieu of man-made power is part of our ongoing commitment to minimize the impact on earth to create EcoLuxury.”

All Maria Yee products are permitted to carry the Eco label standardized by the International Organization for Standardization to help consumers identify products that lessen the impact on the environment. Maria Yee’s bamboo furniture is handcrafted using the company’s patent-pending BambooTimbre and Bamboo-Joinery system.