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The great green momentum killer
April 5, 2012
I think the last time we put the green newsletter out was in the fall of 2008.
You remember 2008? Between August and November that year the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about 3,500 points from about 11,600. Its low would be 6,626 in March 2009.
I remember an oft sick feeling in the pit of my stomach then.
We'd peaked in the fall of 2007 above 14,000 points. The Dow (finally) broke 13,000 this year in February. Do you feel like we're approaching those record heights again? Not with unemployment at 8.3% it doesn't.
How many times in our lives will we see companies like Wickes, Carls, Robb & Stucky, Hudson's, Hendricks, American Home, Fortunoff, Z Gallerie, Jennifer Convertibles, Lack's, Berkline and CIT, among others, file for bankruptcy protection?
Some of those companies have restructured, been bought or changed dramatically. Maybe it doesn't feel like we're on the way back up yet because we've developed that thicker, more cautious, skin that lean times help you grow.
Good green intentions certainly weren't rewarded in the Great Recession - the great green momentum killer.
I was a little greener - pun - more naïve, at the time. I thought we were on the cusp of a green revolution. Back in 2009, I heard New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman speak at High Point University.
He put us in our places. Friedman said were having a green party and that our efforts required little of the sacrifice of true revolutions. Already in the depths of recession, with businesses focused on staying afloat, his message then already sounded dated.
But it was true. What was happening then didn't really compare to sacrifice like Revolutionary War-era winters at Valley Forge or Morristown.
Back in 2007 and 2008 I thought we should all be making sustainable furniture.
But you can't put the cart before the horse. We're an $80 billion industry. We're a complicated industry.
How do we get our industry to buy-in to a topic that is still controversial? Our industry is composed of marketers, sales and supplier reps, online and brick and mortar retailers, small store owners, plant managers, overseas manufacturer's agents - to name just a few.
How could you even start to produce meaningful change?
I've said it before - the American Home Furnishings Alliance deserves a lot of credit for keeping its eye on the ball. AHFA consistently produces results in furnishings plants across America and continues getting buy-in from domestic companies for sustainability programs.
AHFA staff have access to plants and plant managers, they know the regulations and have in place programs like Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture, or EFEC, Sustainable By Design, and now Eco3Home marketing.
Walking recently through Bassett's Plant 11 in Martinsville I saw the EFEC logo painted on walls throughout the plant. This subliminal reminder keeps the program on employees' minds, as do the giant boxes for recycling.
Don't underestimate the importance of recycling. It sends less trash to landfills, a sorry sight if you've never walked on a mountain of garbage. The AHFA programs have taught workers to recycle.
How many companies do you know that prioritize that? And if we've struggled to promote sustainability in our own plants, how on earth do we make green consumer products?
Hopefully 2012 is the year of sustained economic recovery. There are some great green stories to tell. Companies didn't just stop paying attention to the subject during the recession. The NASCAR story included in this newsletter is a good one about a big sport's big effort.
I'm looking forward to delving into this topic more. If you've got a story idea, e-mail me at hcombs@furnituretoday.com or call me at (336) 605-1123.
Posted by Heath E. Combs on April 5, 2012 |
Comments (11)
Industries:
Green / Eco-Friendly
, Homepage
July 20, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerWanessa commented:
Well, I'm doing purchasing for a big ntwdonaiie chain and we found Affordable Seating as you online. We NEVER had any problems with them and I'm sure we spent a bit more then you. We've been using them for a while and their service and products are wonderful. Just wanted to set the record straight.
July 20, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killeryoucef commented:
In 60 days Women are donppirg 2 to 6 dress sizes, and Men that had a 46” waist pants are donppirg to 36”. Wouldn’t you just love to go shopping because your clothes are too big instead of too tight?You can now get the nutrition of an 8,000 calorie meal for less than 100 calories. best of all I can show you how you can get it for FREE. If you are interested, go to my channel for more information about this great body transformation.
July 18, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerRohit commented:
You've got to be kidding right?? My cnomapy used Affordable Seating for a customer and trust me, the chairs that delivered looked like they were manufactured by rookies. ASF did NOT back up their product or make good on the warranty. Proof was offered by way of pictures AT TIME OF DELIVERY. They did absolutely NOTHING TO MAKE IT RIGHT! It was thousands of dollars down the tube and resulted in a lost customer for us. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM!! You'll get staples in your butt and really ugly chairs and you will have paid a lot of money (UP FRONT AND IN FULL) for them - that oughta have told us something right there!!
July 18, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerAuth commented:
to me its all a bunch of b.s. for some one to get cash nothing more or less some one claeld me ask if i wood pay more for ele. if it was green eng i told them my bill is to hi now go away leave me a lone
April 13, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerquin chao fat commented:
SPEAKING OF GREEN DID YOU SEE HOW MUCH MONEY OFFSHORE STANLEY GOT FOR MOVING TO HIGH POINT
ITS A SAD DAY WHEN A CITY HAS TO GIVE AWAY MONEY FOR 40 JOBS AND PAY THRU THE NOSE FOR A SELL OUT COMPANY TO RELOCATE.THEY FIRED 900 PEOPLE AND ARE DOWN TO 40 WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?GIVE THE GREEN TO THE LOCALS WHOS MANUFACTURING JOBS WENT TO ASIA WHEN COMPANIES LIKE STANLEY FIRED ALL THE GOOD WORKERS WHO MADE THEM RICH.
April 11, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerMary Frye, HFIA commented:
Good information, easy to read, thought provoking. I agree Jimi that conitinuing to produce the Green newsletter is important.
April 6, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerlucc a rincci gordon commented:
z line brings nascar to hp show,what carbon footprint that company leaves ,all imports and now a gas guzzling monster for the po folk to drool over ...
April 6, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerHeath Combs commented:
You know, carbon footprints were one of the things I was trying to start figuring out a few years ago when we did the previous green newsletters.
What is the carbon footprint of a bedroom group? Or an upholstered living room set? The total set of GHG emissions per piece. I had no idea where to start to figure out that number. There sure wasn't any class on it in j-school.
April 5, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerzebulon k juno commented:
The carbon footprint, no mention, this is the real deal,anything from asia has a huge carbon footprint
and sustainable is almost a reality if the carbon footprint is minimal .But with containers and fuel prices and the waste of shipping to america and reselling back to asia is just plain dumb.wheres the real bottom line add up the real costs and see if made in america doesnt almost equal the imports and true carbon footprints are caculated with true facts from 1st cost ,then see the comparisons.
made in america is the future and local anything is the true way to go.
April 5, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerRetailer commented:
Everything I sell is brown. Except mattresses...they're white.
April 5, 2012
In response to:
The great green momentum killerJimi Breazeale Pres. Get-A-Mattress commented:
Bravo for the come back of the Green Newsletter. I ask that you be brutally honest with the industry or change will only be replaced by confusion.
You will be called out on anything you "Green Wash!" I promise!
The Furniture and Mattress Industry truly understands it must change and is making strides in the right direction. I want to hear reports on who is doing "Green" well!
I was recently very surprised by a visit to the Cannon (Pleasant) Mattress Factory in Fresno, CA where all waste is sent to recycle!
Suite Sleep, Inc. in Bolder, CO always sends us our UPS orders with a Carbon Neutral fee to be paid by us. Kudos for them! They are not afraid to charge their customers to offset their carbon footprint!
For many of us in this industry who have been so fortunate to travel this Earth in search of new sourcing venues realize how tiny our planet is.
Heath please don't give up this time! Looking forward to following your new blog!
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