AHFA Plans Eco Label

August 19, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on August 2007 The American Home Furnishings Alliance plans to introduce an eco-label program in November called Sustainable Choice. As part of the program, furniture makers that have made a commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of their companies will label products with the AHFA’s Sustainable Choice logo, officials announced Thursday.

The program was outlined by AHFA Vice President Bill Perdue during the organization’s annual Marketing Conference in Baltimore last week. Perdue said it ties into a six-year-old AHFA initiative called EFEC (Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture) that has seen several companies sharply reduce their environmental impact by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, increasing recycling and producing other environmental gains.

As part of EFEC, Lexington Home Brands has produced more than $200,000 in savings through recycling of cardboard, leather and fabric, which reduced its landfill costs. In additional, Stanley Furniture has produced more than $98,000 in gains through a similar program. Stanley and other EFEC participants have also improved factory emissions.

Perdue said the creation of the Sustainable Choice label won’t be in conflict with other furniture industry environmental initiatives—such as the Sustainable Furniture Council. He said furniture makers will be free to choose either program or participate in both, depending on their goals. Perdue also said the Sustainable Choice logo will be available to participants that are making strides toward reducing their environmental impact, not just companies that have already achieved those goals. “We want (manufacturers) to make a commitment to continuous improvement,” he said. “There’s a punch list of (goals) we think are really important and you need to be involved with.”