AHFA presents awards for environmental stewardship

Flexsteel, La-Z-Boy's Rod Miller among honorees

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, December 17, 2010

HIGH POINT — The American Home Furnishings Alliance presented La-Z-Boy's Rod Miller, manufacturer Flexsteel Inds. and two suppliers with its 2010 Environmental Awards at the group's Sustainability Summit in Asheville, N.C., earlier this month.

Miller, director of environmental affairs for La-Z-Boy, received the Environmental Leadership Award. He has piloted 11 La-Z-Boy facilities through the AHFA's environmental management program known as EFEC, or Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture. He also serves on the board of examiners that audits the AHFA's EFEC and Sustainable by Design companies.

"His progressive and visionary leadership has propelled La-Z-Boy to the forefront of the sustainability movement as an example of careful and concerned environmental stewardship," said AHFA Vice President Bill Perdue.

Flexsteel, which received the Environmental Excellence Award, was recognized as a manufacturer that is on the leading edge of environmental compliance and performance.

Flexsteel was the first AHFA member to implement the EFEC program at a contract division, in its Starkville, Miss., commercial seating factory. It also implemented EFEC at its plant and corporate office in Dubuque, Iowa, at Flexsteel plants in Riverside, Calif., Dublin, Ga., and Harrison, Ark., and at facilities of its DMI division in Louisville, Ky., and Huntingburg, Ind.

In 2009, the company reduced its landfill waste by 51%. It has also achieved significant water and electrical usage reductions, AHFA said.

Suppliers recognized with environmental awards were:

+ The Shelton Group of Knoxville, Tenn. for helping the AHFA develop the marketing behind its Eco3Home program, which educates consumers on environmental efforts at AHFA companies. The group also has done consumer research for the AHFA on sustainable home furnishings.

+ Verisae of Minneapolis for partnering with the AHFA to offer educational webinars and for developing a custom "carbon calculator" to help member companies understand their carbon footprint. The company provides asset, energy and carbon management software to help meet corporate sustainability objectives.