Specialty Sleep Assn. joins Sustainable Furnishings Council
Working on defining "green" terms for mattress industry
David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 26, 2009
FRIANT, Calif. — The Specialty Sleep Assn. has joined the Sustainable Furnishings Council as part of its efforts to define "green" terms used in the mattress industry.
"As the SSA undertakes its step-by-step ‘green initiative' to identify existing terms, standards and certifications, and to define and set standards for how mattress manufacturers and retailers as well as makers of natural sleep products label ‘green,' creating a relationship with the SFC is an important step in achieving our goals," said Dale Read, SSA president.
The SSA goal will be to create a certification program based on existing legitimate standards and programs as well as industry-specific terms and standards for mattresses and bedding. This initiative will be the first time any North American national sleep products industry group has created a uniform standard, SSA said.
"While we laud the overall movement towards environmentally friendly sleep products, we are aware that there are degrees of greenwashing taking place at retail, with every manufacturer and supplier using its own definitions of what is green, sustainable or natural. This is causing a tremendous amount of confusion with consumers and we as an industry must take a leadership role in creating a uniform set of standards and definitions," said Read.
The SFC is a non-profit coalition of suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and designers that supports environmentally friendly home furnishings, and has developed training programs and standards for green products.
The SSA will launch its green standards initiative with an industry-wide conference on May 8 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Fla. That event is expected to identify and define a set of standards that could be ratified by this summer.
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