Fairfield Chair Completes Environmental Management Program

Furniture World Magazine

The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) announced that Fairfield Chair has completed the furniture industry-specific environmental management program, EFEC, at its two upholstery plants, plus its Lenoir, N.C. headquarters building. EFEC stands for Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture. “EFEC is a very thorough program that required over a year for us to complete,” states Fairfield President Dick Posey. “During that time, Fairfield reduced its landfill tonnage by 28 percent; reduced its water use by 14 percent; and reduced its kilowatts of electricity used by 5 percent. Every person in the company was and is involved in our effort to reduce, reuse and recycle.” Employee education is one of the priorities in the EFEC program, and Fairfield met this requirement by posting its environmental policy in its plants, on its website “and putting it in the hands of every employee,” Posey points out. The EFEC program also caused the company to take a closer look at the components it uses in constructing its chairs. “We are focused on building quality, environmentally-friendly products,” says Posey. “Ninety-five percent of all metals used are from post-consumer content, and 100 percent of all filling material is from recycled content.” In addition, all lumber is from sustainable U.S. forests, and plywood meets the new California formaldehyde emission requirements. Cushions are constructed using CertiPUR-US compliant foam. The CertiPUR certification process involves intense foam assessment, including testing for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a chemical breakdown analysis, and assurances that ozone-depleting chemicals as well as lead, mercury and other materials of concern (including certain fire retardants) are not being used in the foaming process. “We are proud of what the company and its employees are doing,” says Posey. With the growing number of furniture manufacturers completing the EFEC registration process for one or more of their domestic facilities, participating companies are realizing another benefit that AHFA’s Bill Perdue says was built into the program from the very beginning. “When EFEC was designed 10 years ago, we built in something we called the Information Technology Exchange. Essentially, it is a bulletin board of best practices for EFEC-registered facilities” he explalins. “We are appreciative of the assistance and expertise we received from other AHFA member companies with EFEC registered plants,” says Posey. “Frequently we are able to help each other. For example, we are now using other manufacturers’ fabric roll cores and pallets. We are able to put these components to use and save those companies landfill cost and volume.” Posey concludes: “EFEC is good for our environment, good for customers and good for our bottom line.” In addition to the EFEC environmental management system for domestic furniture manufacturing facilities, the Alliance also offers the Sustainable by Design program, which provides a roadmap for integrating sustainable business practices into a furniture company’s manufacturing operations and sourcing strategies worldwide. Fairfield Chair is a supplier of seating and case goods to the residential, commercial and healthcare markets at mid and upper price points. The company was founded in 1921 and is still owned by the founding family. Its products – including chairs, executive desk chairs, sofas, sleepers, desks, occasional tables, dining tables and other office and accent pieces – are distributed throughout the United States and in numerous foreign countries. The company offers custom upholstery, with 30 different finishes and 600 frame styles, and has COM capabilities. The entire line, as well as the environmental policy, may be viewed at www.fairfieldchair.com. Fairfield joins a growing list of furniture manufacturers that have EFEC-registered facilities, including American Drew, Bernhardt, C.R. Laine, Hickory Chair, Kincaid, Lea Industries and Vaughan-Bassett. The American Home Furnishings Alliance – located in High Point, N.C., and Washington, D.C. – is the largest association of home furnishings companies in the world and represents more than 240 leading furniture manufacturers and distributors, as well as nearly 200 suppliers to the furniture industry worldwide.