| Many observers have said that a new economy has
begun to emerge with a new breed of business to drive it—firms
whose value is based on their intellectual capital and their keen
sensitivity to the newest opportunities and trends. Companies and
government policymakers at all levels are seeking the assistance
of firms that can help them take their next step in the sustainability
revolution.
Sustainable Research Group, LLC, a company dedicated to identifying,
documenting and improving business performance based on environmentally
healthy and socially responsible principles, is one organization
committed to helping others embrace today’s focus on sustainability.
SRG provides consultation on everything from waste stream analysis
and end-of-life product impact, and has recently focused on ensuring
office furniture meets sustainability guidelines.
SRG was integral to the development of one of the first applications
of a sustainable product standard for the Business and Institutional
Furniture Manufacturers Association.
As the project manager and lead technical resource for the process,
SRG helped BIFMA develop North America’s first industry-wide
sustainability guidelines in 2004. Two years later, SRG became responsible
for overseeing the organization and development of the complete
product sustainability standard.
To accomplish this, SRG monitored the work of nearly one hundred
industry volunteers and divided the standard’s technical approach
targets into four categories: materials, energy/renewables, human/ecosystem
health and social responsibility. The company helped reconcile stakeholder
differences, prioritize actions and keep ideas in motion.
To encourage higher levels of achievement, a point system and accreditation
will be added to the final product, along with incentives for continuous
improvement over time. One of the biggest challenges is to ensure
that participants don’t set the bar too low or too high, so
that large businesses are able to achieve something better than
“business-as-usual,” or small ones have goals that are
out of reach.
SRG claims that a growing number of customers are asking for furniture
that meets these standards, and BIFMA plans to submit its sustainability
standard to the American National Standards Institute. BIFMA’s
ultimate goal is to create an ANSI international standard for sustainable
furniture, but success will depend on the transparency of the certification
process and the promise by BIFMA to revisit its standard at least
every five years to ensure that it remains technically current.
To bolster credibility, BIFMA will partner with independent third-party
auditor and standards group NSF International, based in Ann Arbor,
Mich., and a public comment period will assure transparency and
resolve any legitimate issues prior to an ANSI adoption.
“If a company conforms to this standard, it will demonstrate
that it has the necessary technical and management skills to deliver
a product to the market with cutting-edge sustainability attributes,”
said William Stough, CEO of SRG.
Although adopting BIFMA’s sustainable furniture standard will
be voluntary for applicants, it will affect the industry’s
suppliers and customers worldwide. The new economy will demand organizations
provide products and services that protect and restore the ecological
and social systems that support us all.
Strategies for Office Furniture Sustainability
In working toward a national consensus standard with BIFMA, NSF
and their stakeholders, SRG promoted the following key sustainability
principles:
* Energy efficiency aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
* Decision filters that help companies evolve to higher levels of
human and ecosystem safety.
* Reduction of the raw material intensity of their products.
* Life-cycle thinking, from creation through reuse and end of life.
* Environmental management systems and triple-bottom-line accountability. |
