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HIGH POINT — Sustainability furniture has been the talk of the town for some time now. But exactly how big of a deal is it to consumers? Do furniture manufacturers feel the need to place a large emphasis on it? And do retailers feel the need to have it on-hand?
We talked to a number of furniture executives to get their take on it. Is sustainable furniture truly in demand?
“Buyers may have a range of comments and concerns about sustainable furniture, but many are willing to pay extra for furniture that aligns with their values and has a positive impact on the environment,” said Sydney Wells, Sherrill Furniture’s director of marketing.
Fellow domestic manufacturer Stickley says cost is a barrier for many retailers. Newer dealers however may be more likely to buy.
“Cost is perhaps the biggest concern we hear regularly,” said Mark Wiltshire, vice president of sales and marketing. “Dealers like the idea of sustainability, but not all are willing to pay more for it.
“But we’ve begun to produce a fair bit of private-label product for new omnichannel retailers. The interest is coming most frequently from newer dealers who are trying to carve out a niche in the marketplace. Many of them build their consumer messaging around the importance of sustainability coupled with an American-made story, which makes our product an excellent fit.”
Porter Designs, a company with major sustainability initiatives in both upholstery and case goods, says consumers want it, although they don’t necessarily want to pay extra.
“When you’re asking the customer to buy furniture during inflationary period, you have to tell a story that connects with their heart,” said David Weiss, co-owner and president.
Weiss says it’s important to offer retailers a sustainable product that’s competitively priced.
“Business right now is challenging,” he said. “(Retailers) don’t want to pay a premium on something that might not work. So, our goal is to offer a comparably priced product. We have affordable furniture priced less than Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel. We want it to be accessible.”
Whole home wood furniture supplier Ethnicraft believes customers are in fact willing to pay a higher price.
“Our retailers find that consumers are willing to pay a little more to ensure their products are high quality, made from materials that are responsibly sourced and are built to last,” said Anne-Marie Earl, U.S. communications manager. “Consumers have been looking to move away from disposable products as they shift their focus toward their ecological footprint.”
Many paths to sustainability
There are a multitude of avenues manufacturers can travel down to achieve sustainability. The most obvious is in the materials used.
“All the wood we use has been sourced from responsibly and carefully managed forests compliant with the EU Timber Regulations and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan,” said Earl. “In addition, our wood sourced from Indonesia is verified under the Indonesian Timber Legality Assurance System.”
Hooker Furnishings is always looking for ways to improve its sustainability, both in furniture and in overall operations.
“Most of our domestically manufactured upholstery is made from certified sustainable lumber: FSC and SFI certified,” said Anne Smith, chief administrative officer and president of domestic upholstery. “Our sourcing teams work diligently with U.S. and international suppliers to source sustainable materials, products and packaging, minimizing our environmental impact. This includes fabrics, leathers, component parts and finished goods.”
To sell sustainability, Smith says it’s important to tell consumers a compelling story.
“Many retailers are looking for ways to feature products with a compelling environmental stewardship story,” she said. “We believe that most consumers look for opportunities to purchase products with a sustainability story and want to partner with brands who are committed to looking after our environment and our overall safety when it comes to home furnishings.
“The ‘sweet spot’ is the convergence of style, comfort/livability, sustainability and overall value.”
Sustainability is a broad concept and goes much further than materials, according to Phillips Collection.
“We look at sustainability in a broad scope beyond materials and manufacturing,” said Jason Phillips, vice president of sales and marketing. “How we ship and maximize space in the container also plays a role in minimizing our footprint. Once the product arrives, we are careful to preserve and reuse the shipping cartons, and in the rare cases where they are not reusable, we recycle them.”
“We have planted more than 20,000 trees in Northern Thailand, where we’ve gotten students and the community involved and developed new botany curriculums,” he said. “In North Carolina, we have adopted our street and do regular monthly cleanups for beautification, preservation and teambuilding.”
But sustainability is also about material yield.
“We also use state-of-the-art technologies to dry our wood and computers to determine the highest yield from our raw materials,” Phillips said.
The future of sustainability
Will sustainable initiatives in the furniture industry pick up the pace over the next few years? Where’s it going?
Sherrill is “currently working with a sustainability expert, Nancy Fire, who is a designer, consultant and board member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, on expanding our reach in the sustainable design world,” said Wells.
Earl at Ethnicraft isn’t planning on slowing down.
“Sustainability is a moving target,” she said. “There are always ways to improve in this area, and we do plan to grow in both our product assortment, manufacturing processes and business practices moving forward.”
She teased two products coming in April that should “really excite the environmentally conscious consumer.”
“One has to do with unique wall art made from wood remnants from the furniture manufacturing process, saving as much of the material as we can, in a similar way to using cast offs for our Objects collection. The other is a gorgeous product made from reclaimed teak.”
Porter is working to be sustainable “across the board.”
“We have an internal committee that looks for ways to improve our sustainability,” said Julie Grant, co-owner and creative director. “Sustainability will become more important over time. The furniture industry tends to a lag on trends a bit, where other industries don’t.
“In the fashion industry, which tends to lead furniture, (sustainability is) a major deal,” Grant continued. “It’s a message that’s particularly being promoted to Millennial and Gen-X customers and all the way down. They’re seeing it everywhere.”
Phillips said he believes sustainability will become more of standard over time, as it will cost less.
“There’s education out there to help new manufacturers plot a course to sustainability,” he said. “Sustainable products no longer need to be associated with paying a premium. When it comes to the cost of materials, the delta is not significant anymore, and companies focused on sustainability often bake in better quality, savvier marketing, etc. At the end of the day, it’s a wash, which is a great thing.”
