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AHFA Sustainability Summit to feature custom research

Shelton Group is studying which eco-features motivate consumers to buy

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, November 23, 2009

HIGH POINT — Officials with the Shelton Group will present research commissioned by the American Home Furnishings Alliance at the group's upcoming Sustainability Summit that measures the importance of environmental attributes in home furnishings purchases.

The AHFA will hold its second annual Sustainability Summit Dec. 2-3 at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C. The program provides marketing intelligence for companies developing eco-friendly home furnishings.

Companies don't have to be AHFA members to attend. The summit is co-sponsored by Cargill's BiOH polyols business unit.

Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of the Shelton Group, a specialist in researching environmental issues, will present the findings of its study for AHFA.

"In addition to ascertaining consumer awareness of and interest in the various environmental attributes they might find while shopping for furniture, this research will tell us which attributes are important enough to influence purchasing," said Jackie Hirschhaut, AHFA's vice president of public relations and marketing.

The AHFA plans to use results of the research to help it develop marketing materials related to its Sustainable by Design certification program.

Headlining the opening of the summit is Miriam Arond, director of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, which recently launched the Good Housekeeping Green Seal. The Institute may add furnishings to product categories eligible for the Green Seal, the AHFA said.

Other speakers include:

• Heather Gadonniex, a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) professional and principal at MindClick, a sustainability consulting firm, will discuss green certifications in a presentation called "The Promises and Pitfalls of Eco-Labels." The presentation will untangle the web of certifications, rating standards and labels and describe the Environmental Product Declaration, a type of label that originates from ISO 14025 standards and is based on scientific data generated from a product life cycle assessment.

• Angela Nahikian, director of global environmental sustainability for Steelcase, will share the company's progress toward the goal of reducing its global environmental footprint 25% by 2012 and the role suppliers are playing in achieving that goal.

• A panel of suppliers, including representatives from Hickory Springs, Cargill, Columbia Forest Products and Leggett & Platt, will discuss their companies' sustainable business practices.

• Christie Grymes, a partner in the Washington office of Kelley Drye and chair of the law firm's Consumer Product Safety practice group, will present an update on regulatory changes in the advertising and marketing of environmental attributes.

• A retailer panel, supplier panel and three corporate case histories featuring Kincaid Furniture, Flexsteel Inds. and Hooker Furniture, complete the summit program.

The opening day will conclude with a reception, where the winner of the 2009 Sage Award will be announced. Last month, Century Furniture, Copeland Furniture and La-Z-Boy were named finalists for the AHFA's Sage Award, which recognizes excellence in home furnishings through sustainable business practices.

A limited number of rooms at $169 per night are available at the Proximity. Attendees should call the hotel at (800) 379-8200 or (336) 379-8200 and provide the group name, American Home Furnishings Alliance, to get the reduced rate.

Registration for the summit is $500 per person or $450 per person if more than one person from the same company is attending. The registration form is online at www.ahfa.us.

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