Sue Patrolia wins environmental award

Honored for work recycling, reusing furniture fabrics

Heath Combs -- Furniture Today, December 10, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO — Sue Patrolia has won first place in the professional category of Net Impact's 2008 Green Challenge for her work as founder of the Sample Waste Initiative for Furniture and Textiles, or SWIFT.

Launched in 2007, the SWIFT program aims to reduce fabric sample waste.

Sue Patrolia of Regal Fabrics, pictured earlier this year in front of a bin filled with discarded fabric, has won an environmental award for her work in creating recycling programs.

Net Impact is a network of more than 10,000 professionals in social entrepreneurship, non-profit management, international development and environmental sustainability.

The award recognizes members working on projects that make a positive environmental impact on their company, campus or community.

Patrolia, the product manager for Regal Fabrics, was recognized for her efforts to reduce landfill waste from the fabric and furniture industries, which send an estimated 60 tons of sample waste to landfills each year.

This year, she helped develop a program called GIFFT, the Green Initiative for Furniture and Textiles, with recycling company Avangard Innovative and Quilts for Kids, which donates quilts made by volunteers to kids in need.

Warehouse space was secured and 10 tons of fabric were diverted from landfills and delivered to the charity, according to Net Impact's Web site.

"This project is a great example of how a motivated individual can change the world. Diverting 10 tons of waste into useful Quilts for Kids is a win-win-win," said judge David Yarnold, executive director of the Environmental Defense Fund.

The Green Challenge is sponsored by the World Business Academy, a business think tank that includes sustainable business strategies as one of its core areas of interest.