Flexsteel Industries, Inc., Dubuque, Iowa and its DMI Furniture subsidiaries, announced a company-wide initiative in environmentally sustainable business practices.
The initiative, along with a supporting environmental program, will certify the commitment of all Flexsteel employees to be environmentally and socially responsible. Flexsteel will continue to examine, explore and invest into becoming a more environmentally conscious organization.
This initiative involves participation in the environmental program Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture (EFEC), which is a program developed by the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA). EFEC is a voluntary environmental program for furniture manufacturers, which serves as a platform for continuous environmental improvement through the enhanced management of resources such as raw materials and energy conservation while reducing a company’s environmental impact. “Flexsteel Industries has begun a green initiative that will be applied to all of its manufacturing facilities and subsidiaries. They have begun a movement that will create a positive change on our environment,” said Bill Perdue, AHFA’s Vice President of Environmental Affairs.
“The conclusion was easy to reach that we do have a responsibility to our environment and must work towards minimizing our environmental footprint at our facilities, work with our suppliers on utilization of eco-friendly and sustainable materials, and to develop processes to measure our effectiveness and communicate our stewardship to our customers and consumers,” said Ron Klosterman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We will see many benefits from our efforts, including energy conservation, expanded recycling, waste reduction, etc. But most of all, this is the right thing to do for our environment, for our associates, and for our families.”
Flexsteel's Commitment to Environmental Stewardship is undertaken in the environmental policy statement. “All of Flexsteel’s stakeholders have a responsibility to protect our environment. The officers of Flexsteel and its subsidiaries will use our role as business and community leaders to set the tone at the top to guide our management team in their efforts to improve the environment we directly impact.
We will identify our environmental footprint and reduce our impact by implementing a wide variety of initiatives. Because we are committed to sustainable business practices, and to our environment, this initiative will grow into core values dedicated to the stewardship of resources.”
Seven locations across the country, including the Flexsteel and DMI corporate headquarters, are participating in the program, which makes Flexsteel the largest organization to attempt EFEC certification at one time. Teams have been assembled at each location to implement the program that fits the needs of the facility and the community. The goal of Flexsteel was not to achieve certification in the shortest amount of time, but to thoroughly evaluate each facility and implement changes that will support the long-term goals of the company.
Environmental Team Leaders have identified several goals they wish to address throughout the program including the expansion of recycling programs at all facilities, reducing waste, water consumption and energy usage while increasing the use of recycled materials in operations and product development. A website solely dedicated to the environmental commitment of Flexsteel has also been established which consumers can visit at www.flexsteel.com/environment. Flexsteel Industries, Inc. is headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, and was incorporated in 1929.
Flexsteel is a designer, manufacturer, importer and marketer of quality upholstered and wood furniture for residential, recreational vehicle, office, hospitality and healthcare markets.