Zenda Leather named Sage Award winner

Honor recognizes excellence in sustainable practices

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, December 6, 2010

Edith Ledzema, left, and Juan Diego Casaretto, both of Zenda Leather, received the 2010 Sage Award recognizing environmental excellence.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Zenda Leather, a supplier of leather for the furniture and automotive industries, has won the third annual Sage Award recognizing excellence in home furnishings through sustainable business practices.

The award, sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and Cargill's BiOH Polyols, was presented at last week's All-Industry Sustainability Summit in Asheville, N.C.

Also recognized as finalists in the 2010 Sage Award competition were upholstery and case goods sources Flexsteel Inds. and TLS by Design.

Zenda Leather, which is based in Montevideo, Uruguay, was founded in 1890 and operates 13 plants and commercial offices in Argentina, Mexico, Germany, South Africa and Uruguay. It has a 50,000-square-foot U.S. distribution center in Hickory, N.C.

All of Zenda's manufacturing facilities hold ISO 14001 management certifications regarding activities with an environmental impact.

Its Uruguay facility has the largest waste treatment plant of its kind in Latin America, an AHFA press release said, and Zenda treats about two million liters of water per day.

Biological sludge from the Uruguay plant is used as organic fertilizer for local farmland. Rainwater accounts for 7% of the plant's total water consumption, the press release said.

In 2008, Zenda eliminated its need to buy power from an outside source by opening the first private energy plant in Uruguay, the AHFA said. Zenda has also developed eco-friendly products such as chrome-free leather that use only natural extracts in the tanning process.

The award was judged by a group representing the furniture and bedding industry, environmental and business journalists and sustainability experts. No one from AHFA or Cargill participated in the award judging.

The AHFA said several Sage judges recognized that while the leather industry is not generally considered an environmentally conscious performer, Zenda raises the bar for those manufacturers.

In addition to the Sage Award plaque, Zenda receives $2,500 from Cargill BiOH polyols to be donated to the charitable organization of its choice.

Zenda joins Hickory Chair and Copeland Furniture as past Sage winners.