Manufacturers adopt environmentally sound production methods.

In light of diminishing landfills and natural resources, interior furnishings manufacturers have taken an active approach to increasing their environmental responsiveness and awareness. The Knoll Group, a New York City-based office furniture designer and manufacturer, has taken an environmental

stand by joining the Green Cross Certification Company (GCCC), located in Oakland, CA, to identify timber products produced under carefully monitored, sustainable-forestry management methods. (GCCC is a not-for-profit environmental certification organization specializing in independent investigation and verification of environmental performance claims.) This joint effort provides timber companies with the first international guidelines for asserting claims in sustainable forestry.

"For years our various suppliers would say they got their woods from people who were practicing good forestry management and that they could give us documentation, but what does that mean? " asks George Wilmot, Knoll's vice president for Advanced Planning. "How do you know what you've ordered is really certified to be sustainable unless you have a very rigorous tracking system and sign-off process at every stage, from the grower, the slicer or saw mill, the shipper, the processor, the distributor, to the final manufacturer of the furniture?"

GCCC awards certification to products that meet exacting performance standards in one or more environmental areas. The certification is not a product endorsement; rather, it is an independent verification that a specific claim is accurate and represents the highest performance standard for a product category. For The Knoll Group, the claim will be that its office furnishings are completely manufactured from sustainable domestic and tropical forestry sources.

Scientific certification standards seek to head off well-meaning but often shortsighted efforts to boycott the use of tropical timber in an attempt to save the rain forests. Such bans have the potential of accelerating their demise as the rain forests are destroyed by other means, including slash-and burn agriculture, cattle ranching, or using the lumber for construction projects. In this light, according to sources, the rain forests are worth more alive than dead.

Green Cross certification specialists will conduct on-site inspections of wood harvesting sites, initially to take place in Cameroon, Mexico, Honduras, and the Caribbean. The certification process also includes an extensive evaluation of supporting documentation to assure logs were taken from sustainable sites, and a peer review by a panel of scientists and forestry experts to assess internal consistency to determine whether to grant certification. If granted, quarterly monitoring procedures will be conducted to ensure certified sustainable-forestry management practices are still in use.

The Knoll Group products certified by Green Cross are not yet on the market. "It will be a while before we [can] say to the world that we have a certifiable product where every ounce of this wood came from a well-managed forest. This is not going to be easy to achieve, but that is the idea," says Wilmot.

In another segment of the interiors market, a report to the media from Allied Fibers, a New York City-based carpet fiber manufacturer, indicates their start-up fiber waste can be reprocessed to produce first-quality fiber. The company has also initiated feasibility studies to learn how recycling carpet can help minimize solid waste and conserve dwindling landfills.

Dr. Edward Duffy, manager, New Product Commercialization for Allied Fibers, noted that incineration is an effective waste minimization approach, especially for synthetic materials, such as nylon, which have twice the energy values of some grades of coal. Incineration not only provides energy, but also reduces - by as much as 90 percent solid waste that would otherwise be landfilled. This procedure is still in the development stage.

Duffy also describes an Allied Fiber's program in which environmental scientists and toxicologists become involved with a project from its inception to ensure its use or production is not harmful to employees, the community, the environment, or the consumer.

At the consumer level - but interesting to note in light of indoor air quality (IAQ) concerns among commercial building professionals - Allied Fibers has also taken an active role in the EPA's IAQ meetings with respect to possible emissions in the home from carpet and other furnishing materials. According to Duffy, studies show that carpet is a low emitter of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially compared to interior surfacings such as paint and vinyl wallcoverings. "The key factor in IAQ is ventilation," says Duffy. "Most IAQ issues would be greatly minimized by proper ventilation, which also includes proper design, use, and maintenance of the ventilation system."

Duffy says managing health, safety, and environmental matters are important aspects when conducting business throughout the world. The chemical industry has responded with positive programs that relate to health, pollution prevention, and new technology to conserve valuable resources.

The Knoll Group's Wilmot concurs. "The sad part is, we don't have much time. The encouraging thing is how quickly world-wide public opinion has been marshalled. These are small, individual steps, but together I'm hoping they will heighten public awareness and [create] a better result."