Leggett & Platt reported that its High Point components facility has implemented the comprehensive, furniture industry-specific environmental management system known as EFEC.
EFEC – or “Enhancing Furniture’s Environmental Culture” – is a voluntary program created for the residential furniture industry by the American Home Furnishings Alliance. To achieve registration, companies must:
- Improve management of resources and raw materials;
- Reduce energy and water consumption;
- Reduce waste disposal and associated costs; and,
- Increase recycling efforts.
Leggett & Platt is AHFA’s first supplier member company to register a facility in the EFEC program, and the High Point components plant is the first of 13 Leggett & Platt facilities in six states that are scheduled to implement EFEC in 2010.
Leggett & Platt Vice President Randy Ford, who also is president of the Home Furniture Components Unit, commended Murray Catton, branch manager of the High Point facility, on completing the work necessary to achieve registration.
“The EFEC program is being initiated at all facilities in the Home Furniture Components Unit in the first half of 2010,” Ford added. “Leggett continues to explore opportunities to utilize energy-saving innovations, encourage employee-partner conservation practices, increase our sustainable energy mix and collaborate with our customers to preserve our environment.”
Although it has been only four months since Catton’s team began implementation of the program in the High Point facility, they already have reduced electrical and natural gas consumption by about 12 percent. This is expected to reduce energy expenses by about $30,000 in 2010.
The High Point components facility also has reduced its landfill waste by 8 tons over the same period last year. They recently identified a recycler who will be able to take additional off-fall product, and this will reduce landfill waste by another 4 to 5 tons in 2010.
An additional $12,000 in savings was achieved by reducing the purchase of wood pallets by 25 percent over the same period last year. The High Point facility now has zero wood product going to the landfill.
The High Point Leggett & Platt branch is a manufacturer and reseller of several types of components used within the home furnishings industry, including coil, helical and sinuous springs, seating grids, furniture suspension units, fabric pocketed seating coils, assembled motion hardware and sofa sleeper units and many other related products. The branch was the first to be certified through the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) operated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as well as the first to complete Leggett & Platt’s newly created Supervision, Training, Accountability and Responsibility (STAR) program.
“The branch’s solid commitment to employee safety and quality products is reflected by these recognitions, and we are proud to add the EFEC registration, which is in keeping with our concern for the environmental sustainability of our products and processes,” Catton remarked.
Leggett & Platt Inc. is a diversified, international manufacturer of a broad variety of engineered components and products found in the home, office, retail store and automobile. The 127-year-old company has 21 business units, 24,000 employee-partners and more than 250 facilities located in 20 countries.
EFEC– which requires participants to make continual improvements in order to retain their registration – was implemented at 26 different furniture manufacturing locations in 2009.
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.