Daily News

From Home Furnishing Business

Vegas Market names Global Goodness Award Winners

July 27, 2014  by in Green, Industry   

The Global Goodness Awards will be presented at this week's Summer Las Vegas Market.

“Las Vegas Market is proud to support the environmentally-friendly and socially-conscious activities of companies within the industry,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift & Home Décor, International Market Centers. “As the leading furniture, home decor and gift destination in the western United States, Las Vegas Market is pleased to encourage and celebrate companies that are having a positive impact on people and communities all around the globe.”

Judges for the Summer Market awards include; Claire Johnson, managing editor, Giftware News; Julie McCallum, editor in chief, Gift Shop Magazine; and Caroline Kennedy, editor in chief, Gifts and Decorative Accessories. The five winners of the Summer 2014 Global Goodness Awards were selected based on integration of sustainable and socially responsible practices into their businesses and manufacturing processes, and the resulting improvements to the lives of people all over the world. 

Banded is a supplier of innovative accessories that seamlessly connect trend-forward style with superior form and function to create a comfortable no-slip headband. The company strives to provide products that elevate the technology of how something is crafted, the comfort it brings and how it can touch the lives of others. Each no-slip headband the company sells provides three meals for a child in Uganda. To date, the company has provided more than 875,000 meals, making it possible for children to grow, learn and look forward to a brighter future.

Distinctly Himalayan, an accessories company owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Jamyang Lodoe and Jennifer Neufeld, partners directly with socially conscious artisans, women’s collectives and family-run businesses throughout Tibet, India and Nepal, providing stable incomes for hundreds of families. The company’s exclusive line of “kooloo” scarves and wraps uses fibers, dying and printing techniques that are truly eco-friendly, including felted recycled sari silk shrugs; scarves hand-loomed from sustainable banana plant fibers; and accessories colored with all-natural vegetable dyes and mud-resist block prints on natural fibers.

Naturepedic, a designer and manufacturer of mattresses, is a leader in environmental stewardship, supporting sustainable practices in the U.S. and abroad. Organic raw materials are sourced according to strict fair labor and environmental guidelines allowing products to be certified to international standards. The company actively supports the Amish community, employing Amish craftspeople and donating returned products and unused raw materials for their use. Anticipating future recycling programs, Naturepedic’s Lullaby Earth mattresses are made from recyclable #2 and #4 plastics. The company also is a leader in developing safer, greener alternatives to chemical agents for flame retardant and waterproofing uses.

Phillips Collection, a contemporary furniture and accessories manufacturer, uses artisanal techniques in Indonesia to manufacture its Folded Glass tables, a shining example of material innovation, conservation and global stewardship. The artisans use shards from discarded, recycled Coca-Cola bottles, which are melted over a primitive fire, then folded together and re-melted into molds that become the tops of coffee, side and console tables. The result is a stunning collection created from reclaimed materials that also helps develop and sustain local artisan communities.

Surya, a leading supplier of area rugs and home accessories, employs 50,000 weavers and artisans in Ugapur, Northern India, supporting economic opportunity for local communities and empowering women by providing fair wages and a safe working environment. Annually, Surya sponsors high school scholarships for 200 Indian girls through East Meets West and works with Askhaya Patra to provide 7,300 rural schoolchildren with nutritious lunches. Surya also sponsors educational and vocational training for 160 students through Project Mala, which also helps provide children with school uniforms, food and medical care, and sports and cultural training. The company uses eco-friendly materials, including natural dyes and renewable plant fibers such as jute and hemp, along with recycled denim, leather and sari silks, in its rugs and home accessories.

In addition to these exemplary resources, Las Vegas Market is showcasing a growing number of Fair Trade, sustainable and socially-responsible products and producers. A concentration of these suppliers are showcased within MADE, a collection of temporary exhibitors presenting unique handcrafted, artisanal products—including handmade ceramics, pottery, home décor, letterpress, apparel and jewelry, on floor C11.

In addition, the Global Goodness awards program supplements an ongoing partnership Las Vegas Market has with the Sustainable Furnishings Council to create One Good Guide, a guide to sustainable furniture and home décor products to help connect legitimate suppliers and retailers in this new era of sustainability and accountability. The effort includes a sustainable products locator program, showcasing relevant at-Market resources, expanded educational offerings addressing issues and opportunities connected with sustainability. One Good Guide can be picked up onsite at Las Vegas Market.