Copeland Furniture wins Sage environmental award

Manufacturer honored at AHFA's Sustainability Summit

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, December 3, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Case goods manufacturer Copeland Furniture was named Wednesday as the winner of the second annual Sage Award sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and Cargill BioH Polyols.

Copeland was recognized at the AHFA's second Sustainability Summit, taking place here this week. The Sage Award recognizes excellence in home furnishings through sustainable business practices.

For several years, Copeland has made case goods using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which has helped it win Silver Exemplary Status from the Sustainable Furnishings Council, of which it is a founding member.

Copeland now has eight product groups that qualify for FSC certification. The company sources a majority of its wood within 500 miles of its plant in Vermont.

Also at the Summit, Bill Perdue, vice president of environmental affairs for the AHFA, said that Kincaid Furniture would win the organization's Environmental Excellence Award.

He also said that the AHFA's Environmental Leadership Award would be presented to Lewis Herman, corporate environmental and facilities engineer at Kincaid, a La-Z-Boy division. Herman is responsible for environmental compliance, oversight and environmental stewardship for La-Z-Boy's case goods group.

Kincaid's Sustainable by Design program was the first case goods operation to receive registration from the AHFA.

Hickory Chair was named the first Sage Award winner last year.