More than ever before, it’s important that we consider the environment when we purchase home furnishings. We have a responsibility to future generations to protect the environment – and choosing eco-friendly furniture is an excellent way to make a difference.

At Stoney Creek Furniture, being environmentally responsible is a top priority. It’s more than a mission statement – every day we look for new ways to minimize impact, conserve energy and reduce our footprint.

Here are some of our initiatives:

• We partner with furniture manufacturers that produce eco-friendly furnishings, but more importantly, who also share our ‘big picture’ commitment and passion for preserving the environment.
• We carry quality, timeless furnishings that are built to last and perform beautifully for years. Poor quality furniture quickly gets discarded and winds up littering our landfills.

May we share a quick story to illustrate that point? Just the other day, our Merchandise Manager, Lori, saw a poor quality bicast leather sofa, peeling and torn, on the side of the road to be picked up on garbage day. She wondered to herself if the owner regretted their purchase. It may have seemed like a good deal at the time – but did they really save? They must have had to replace it with something and did purchasing two sets add up to even more in the end? It likely did. And now here it was, deteriorated and discarded and heading to the landfill. Did they regret buying low quality versus a sofa that would still be used and enjoyed by their family? Quality furniture makes good sense for SO many reasons.

• We recycle and bale packaging materials and are in the process of retrofitting our lighting at our stores, to use less electricity. Regarding deliveries, we use a computer routing system and zoned delivery areas to make the most efficient use of our trucks and fuel.
• Giving back is a way of life at Stoney Creek Furniture – and when we can combine it with helping the environment, even better! If we receive an item from a manufacturer that is incorrect or perhaps received with a bit of damage, we add the item to our Giving Back Corner. All proceeds from the sale are donated to our local charities, including Hamilton Food Share, Food 4 Kids or the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA.

Now, here’s how you can do your part in choosing eco-friendly furnishings:

• Choose high quality furniture that will last – perhaps even pass down to the next generation.
• Choose furniture made from locally sourced wood that can easily be replenished without requiring international harvesting of precious woods.
• Choose sustainable wood products from companies that can quickly replace harvested wood.
• Consider furniture that’s been made from reclaimed sources.
• Consider ordering furnishings that are made by our one of many domestic manufacturers. Something that is made close to home helps reduces our carbon footprint on our planet.

Handstone furniture is designed and handcrafted in Canada! One of the many benefits of this is that it’s produced with minimal impact on the environment.

Below are some of the eco-friendly furniture lines carried at Stoney Creek Furniture and their strategies for being environmentally responsible:

Brentwood Classics is a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, a non-profit association committed to promoting sustainable practices within the industry. All Brentwood products are made of foam that is CertiPUR-US® certified – made without ozone depleters, mercury, lead and other heavy metals and without any harmful flame retardant chemicals: CFCs, PBDEs, TDCPP (Tris) orformaldehyde. Brentwood has low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality. Brentwood products are performance-tested, durability-tested, emissions-tested and content-tested.

Handstone’s commitment to the environment is centered on building a durable product that lasts. They construct their furniture from solid wood, with dovetail drawers and a premium varnish finish. After construction, sawdust is recycled as livestock bedding and scrap wood is used to heat homes.

Stylus has made the following choices on all of its domestically made products:

Wood Supply

Frames are made from wood sourced through suppliers who are certified for environmentally sound practices, including the Forest Stewardship Council, CSA Sustainable Forest Management Standard and ISO 14001 Certified Environmental Management Systems. 

Manufacturing

• Recycling programs for paper, cardboard, plastic and foam waste.
• Natural light skylights reduce energy needs.
• Selective packaging saves on packaging materials for shipments that have less anticipated handling.
• Efficient in-floor radiant heating is used to target areas where staff is less active, reducing the need to heat the entire production facility. 

Foam Supply

• From a zero-waste supply chain. Scraps are recycled into carpet underlay.
• Chlorofluorocarbon free. Chlorofluorocarbons have been shown to deplete the ozone layer.
• Blowing agents used in the manufacturing of foam is Methylene Chloride free.
• Polybrominated diphenyl free, a fire retardant that is linked to cancer.
  

  Stylus is committed to continual improvement in the environmental footprint we leave. This is just one of the things we love about this vendor.

Palliser is dedicated to embodying business practices that promote the long-term preservation and enhancement of natural resources, going beyond merely meeting regulatory requirements and striving for environmental leadership within the industry.

Stay tuned for next week when we focus on the importance of environmental responsibility in choosing a mattress – and what Serta is doing to help!