Furniture Manufacturer Challenges Industury South Cone Leads Effort to Develop Sustainable Practices

Environmental protection is not a priority with most furniture manufacturers. In an unprecedented move, South Cone is leading the industry is developing and promoting sustainability and accountability in the industry.

Los Angeles, CA, (PRWEB) October 3, 2005 -- "I challenge the industry to stop destroying the environment and join me in developing cooperative, sustainable business practices that will meet the changing consumer demands for greater corporate responsibility," Gerry Cooklin, CEO of furniture maker South Cone, the world leader in sustainable furniture manufacturing, issued this challenge in a letter to some 50 raw materials suppliers, retailers, and other furniture manufacturers.

Cooklins letter invited his peers to attend a breakfast at the South Cone Showroom during the High Point International Home Furnishings Market on Thursday, October 20 from 8:00-10:00 a.m. There they will learn first-hand about the challenge to join him in the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC), a first-of-its-kind group of forward-thinking industry leaders who are raising the bar for the furniture business.

I challenge the industry to stop destroying the environment and join me in developing cooperative, sustainable business practices that will meet the changing consumer demands for greater corporate responsibility

This group will define the future of sustainable furniture manufacturing. We will model the practices that all manufacturers should be following

Consumer awareness is quickly shifting, with the growing interest in organic food and the dramatic rise in energy costs

It will be only a short time before this translates to the furniture industry. Companies who are adopters now will reap the benefits when the tipping point comes. The American public is changing its attitude about purchasing. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware, and demanding to know that the products they buy reflect their own personal values of social and environmental responsibility.

This is the type of responsibility that we applaud in corporate America.

I am excited that our company is a leader in the movement to preserve the resources that our industry -- in fact, our world -- depends upon for survival. South Cone has been working to increase sustainable practices for the past four years. We have accomplished much, but this is just the beginning of a whole new way of doing business.

"Consumer awareness is quickly shifting, with the growing interest in organic food and the dramatic rise in energy costs," Cooklin explained. "It will be only a short time before this translates to the furniture industry. Companies who are adopters now will reap the benefits when the tipping point comes. The American public is changing its attitude about purchasing. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware, and demanding to know that the products they buy reflect their own personal values of social and environmental responsibility."

According to Tensie Whelan, executive director of the Rainforest Alliance, "This is the type of responsibility that we applaud in corporate America." South Cone manufactures furniture with wood certified by the Rainforest Alliance under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. Certification guarantees that everyone along the production chain, from logger to furniture maker, knows exactly where the wood comes from and that it is harvested according to the highest standards of forest management. The Rainforest Alliance recently held a seminar on FSC certification for furniture manufacturers, co-hosted by South Cone and retailer ABC Carpet and Home, in the South Cone showroom in High Point, NC. Attendees included leaders in the furniture industry and suppliers interested in FSC certification.

Cooklin added, "I am excited that our company is a leader in the movement to preserve the resources that our industry -- in fact, our world -- depends upon for survival. South Cone has been working to increase sustainable practices for the past four years. We have accomplished much, but this is just the beginning of a whole new way of doing business."

About South Cone
South Cone designs and manufactures fine home furnishings for the North American market, including beautiful suites and accents for the living room, dining room and bedroom. In addition to being the largest furniture maker in Peru, South Cone is the world leader in sustainable furniture manufacturing and has repeatedly raised the environmental benchmark. South Cone is headquartered in Gardena, Calif. For more information, visit www.southcone.com.

For more information, contact
Sylvia A. Walters/Public Relations
The Kirschner Agency
www.thekirschneragency.com
Tel: 336.731.3348 (direct)
Tel: 336.274.2871 (agency)

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environment sustainability environmental sustainablity environmental responsibility corporate responsibility certified wood furniture furniture manufacturing forest mangement

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