Much is being made of the threat of global warming, and rightfully so. From the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore to NBC’s Green Week to the Eco Options section at your local Home Depot, it’s impossible to avoid. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there is no other recent topic as highly politicized. While it makes for lively conversation around the dinner table, it confuses the issue. Fortunately, the IPCC, a non-political body founded by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations, just issued their fourth assessment of key scientific data last November (see www.ipcc.com). Short of doing your own fieldwork, it is the best information available.
Reality is that there is a significant problem developing, caused by human activities, and there are specific things that we can do about it. Importantly, there are direct implications for those in the furniture business. As the industry that adds the most value to wood from source cost to end consumer, it is incumbent on us to take the strong lead of the building industry to be aware, to become educated and to take action.
Defining the Problem
The world is getting warmer. Since the dawn of the Industrial Age in 1850, the average global temperature has increased by 1.13 degrees Fahrenheit. The fastest rise in recent history ended the last major Ice Age, occurring between 10 and 20,000 years ago when temperatures increased 9 degrees Fahrenheit, the sharpest rise being 2 degrees Fahrenheit over any thousand years. According to the IPCC’s report, an increase of 5 degrees Fahrenheit is projected over the next 100 years, or 25 times faster.
The report cites many effects already observed, including reduction in the ice caps, elevated sea levels, and increased drought, precipitation and tropical cyclones. Category 4 and 5 hurricanes have doubled in the last 30 years, major flood events have increased tenfold in the last 50 years. In the future, the likely result is a significant melting of the ice caps, slowing of the Gulf Stream, radical changes to weather patterns, and ultimately another ice age.
This should not be shocking. Over the last 35,000 years, ice age conditions have been the norm. The current 8,000-year warm phase is the longest in a half million years, allowing human civilization to develop. Life would continue, simply not for many species and not as we know it. Eco-cycles are delicate, and over a million species could be driven to extinction by 2050. Human beings, who have benefited most from the relative tranquility, are the agents for these changes.
Understanding the Reasons
Numerous factors affect climate change, including vents in the ocean floor, volcanic activity, solar flares, variations in the Earth’s orbit and so on. However, current changes are unquestionably, unnervingly the result of human activities, specifically greenhouse gas emissions. The three main culprits are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), and carbon dioxide is the smoking gun. The warming effect of CO2 is more than all other factors combined.
The world produces 27 billion metric tons (gigatons) of CO2, led by the U.S. with China fast approaching. Oceans and forests can only absorb about 2/3 of those emissions, and even that is declining due to saturation and deforestation. Eight percent of these emissions are produced by burning fossil fuels (coal and oil primarily), 20 percent by clearing forests. And why is fossil fuel burned? In the U.S., 40 percent of CO2 emissions are produced by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, 33 percent for transportation. Many experts call for a 70 percent reduction by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change. Instead, a 30 percent rise is forecast. Therein lies the trouble.
What to Do
There is plenty that can be done by all members of the furniture industry, and fortunately, most actions have ancillary benefits. Some things may be challenging to execute, others controversial, but good ideas often are both. The crucial link in the chain from raw materials to consumer homes lies with the retailers, as they decide what gets presented for sale and are the primary source of information. Research has shown that consumer awareness and interest are on the rise. As the green issue becomes a consumer mandate, it will be retailers who both lead the charge and answer the call. Having better products available and a knowledgeable sales staff can provide a meaningful, competitive point of difference.
It begins with educating yourself and your sales staff so that all of you may anticipate the questions, know the right answers and guide consumers through the discussion and through your stores.
It should then be supplemented with in-store signage encouraging consumers, “Going Green? Just Ask Us.” Here are the basics:
What are the products made of?
Where and how were the materials procured?
If made of wood, was it legally harvested?
How are they processed into finished goods?
What is the environmental impact?
For retailers, the answers have to come from your vendors. For vendors, from your raw materials suppliers. Don’t accept, “I don’t know,” a common, frightening response. Your goal is to verify that wood is from responsibly managed forests, that the finished products require the least possible transportation, and that the provider is a responsible company in all their activities (working conditions, recycling, etc). Following are some specific suggestions for moving toward sustainability:
Buy Good Wood: Illegal logging and poorly managed forests contribute to deforestation. The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) has the most rigorous standard for sustainable forest management with transparent and equitable verification. Other schemes such as SFI lack the same controls. FSC supply may be limited and more expensive, but increased demand will address both. Ask for it by name. Where not available, chain of custody documents should be required, and avoid hot spots like Indonesia, the Philippines and Brazil without it.
Sell Less Leather: Leather is a strong segment, but typically involves significant transportation unless sourced in the U.S.
Brazil is a large leather supplier, exporting $2 billion this year (+22 percent) to countries such as Italy and China where it is made into furniture then shipped on to the U.S., literally completing an around the world journey. Curiously, cows are also a significant producer of methane, the second most problematic greenhouse gas.
Use Less Energy: Generating electricity is the No. 1 source of CO2. Reduce your bills and your carbon footprint by getting a free energy audit, and replace every incandescent bulb in your showrooms with compact fluorescents that last 10x longer and save $15 a year.
Recycle Your Packaging: The U.S. produces over 250 million tons of trash, of which approximately 30 percent is packaging and only 30 percent is recycled. That recycling, however, keeps 49 million metric tons of carbon out of the air through combustion, the equivalent of 39 million cars annually. Due to bulk and the need for protection at multiple shipping points, the furniture industry generates a high level of packaging waste. Recycle all of the paper and plastic waste in your operation.
Buy American: This is practical, not political. No surprise, furniture imports have been growing at double digits for decades. The obvious benefit of turning the tide would be the reduction of direct transport costs and emissions. Furniture is large and heavy, producing a sizeable carbon footprint. And there are hidden benefits. Due to the trade imbalance, for every ship that comes into the U.S. from Asia, many more return empty, doubling the impact. Moreover, while most electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels, not all are alike. Burning coal produces 50 percent more CO2 than oil, 100 percent more than natural gas. Industry is the largest user of electricity, and China has doubled its consumption since 2003 with 90 percent of new energy plants fueled by coal versus only 10 percent of new U.S. plants.
Have a Plan: Deputize someone in your organization to lead a cross-departmental Green Team, put him or her on your executive council, establish goals, write a plan and review progress as a regular agenda item like any other order of business. Then ask all of your suppliers for their plan and mean it.
Sustainability is larger than wood products or emissions. It means maintaining a healthy balance between the environment, social equity, and local economy, PLANET+PEOPLE+PROFITS. Many say they want to do something, but few know where to begin. It’s surprisingly simple. Start asking the right questions, ask and ask again until you get the right answers. The solution starts with you.
The Sustainable Furniture Council is a non-profit coalition of manufacturers, importers, retailers and NGO’s committed to furthering best practices in the industry. They provide education and sales materials to members. Visit their website for more on making your operation greener,
http://www.sustainablefurniturecouncil.org/.
Jeff Hiller is a board member and marketing chair of the Sustainable Furniture Council.
