Berkline promotes Eco-suede

Hangtags explain new feature to consumers

Staff Staff -- Furniture Today, September 10, 2008

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — New "Berkline Green" tags began appearing on the upholstery maker's products containing Eco-suede shortly after the April High Point Market, the company said in a press release.

The tags promote Berkline's environmentally friendly product offerings and manufacturing processes.

The message that the company wants to convey to consumers is that tagged products contains recycled materials.

Berkline began tagging products merchandised with eco-friendly hang tags this spring.

"We see Berkline Green as a benefit to our customers and as smart business, certainly, but we also want to make an environmental contribution," said Bill Wittenberg, president and CEO.

Some of the steps the company has undertaken in making its products more environmentally friendly include:

Converting to foam cushioning made of plant-based renewable materials to reduce petroleum content.

• Using excess foam by grinding it up as filler for use in new products.
• Unveiling Eco-suede, manufactured with 17% recycled materials.
• Incorporating bonded leather into some of its products, which makes use of leather remnants often discarded by furniture manufacturers.
• Using sawdust left over from the manufacturing process to help heat factories in winter.

Eco-suede, the new Berkline fabric which contains 17 % recycled material, was introduced in April.

It is a polyester fiber made from recycled textiles and plastic bottles. The plastic is first ground into flakes. Fiber is then created from the flakes and spun into yarns for weaving fabric.

"These methods and processes enable us to maintain Berkline's quality standards while cutting the need for petroleum products," said Bruce Sinning, senior vice president of merchandising.

The suede so closely resembles true suede leather it can be hard for non-furnishings experts to tell the difference, Sinning said in a press release.

"Each yard of fabric represents one 2-liter soda bottle, so a typical reclining sofa saves 16 plastic bottles from going to a landfill. Incorporating Eco-suede into Berkline's product line is giving customers an excellent, family-friendly product with environmental benefits," Sinning said.

Several Berkline products contain Foamex Reflex Natural Foam - polyurethane foam made partially from plant-based renewable raw materials. The foam has reduced petroleum content and is produced with zero emissions, the company said.

Berkline also points to the use of bonded leather, a combination of polyurethane and leather shavings, as represented a huge recapture of previously discarded leather left from cutting for chairs, sofas and other products.

Berkline tags all products it qualifies as green with the new Berkline Green tag.