Why We Need Transparency in the Sustainable Furnishings Industry

“Even though the residential furnishings industry is relatively small, it is extremely impactful,” says Inglis, who serves as the executive director and resident expert of the council.

Inglis helped found the council in 2006 when Peruvian furniture manufacturer Jerry Cooklin “greened up” his operations, as Inglis describes, and realized he should expand the conversation beyond his own showroom.

Cooklin called on Inglis—founder and owner of From The Mountain, a company that imports hand-spun cashmere yarn from Afghanistan, providing safe income for more than 100 women there—and other industry experts for a meeting. A month later, the SFC was born. Inglis now manages all programming and outreach and teaches most of the classes offered by the SFC.

Operating under the motto “healthy environments inside and out,” the council educates manufacturers, suppliers, and designers about reducing their environmental impact and producing furnishings that are safe and healthy for consumers.

The council also encourages consumers to ask the right questions and look out for harmful chemicals when making furnishing purchases. Their “What’s It Made Of?” initiative is putting pressure on the industry to know exactly where and how their products are produced.

“It is about being cognizant of our decisions,” Inglis says. “And not polluting our environment anymore than is absolutely necessary.”

Inglis recently took the time to share her enthusiasm for sustainable design and industry transparency with us in this interview.

gb&d: What does it mean to be environmentally safe?

Inglis: It means different things to different people and different companies. We need to do all we can as people to reduce our impact. The planet is in enough trouble. We need to make educated choices in production and consumption.

gb&d: Tell us about the “What’s It Made Of?” initiative. How is it leading to change?

Inglis: That is really exciting. We have a lot of companies working with wood, upholstery, foam, et cetera becoming more aware and asking what alternatives are available to them. It is frequently something they haven’t thought about. It encourages transparency in the supply chain. Some companies have already been working hard to know exactly what goes into their products, but for others this is a new idea to get any information on what it is made of. We have a lot of companies coming to us with questions about common harmful chemicals and people are seeking alternatives. We are really excited about it all.

gb&d: How is the council making products greener? Who are the leaders in producing products that are environmentally safe?

Inglis: Our work is resulting in greener products because producers, manufacturers, and companies are learning more about what consumers are looking for at each stage. They are learning what questions they need to be asking and what answers they should be looking for at each part of the process. They are also learning they can build their businesses by getting better answers to their questions. They are learning people are willing to pay more if they know more.

We have great leaders in the industry—just look at our member list. We have many companies recognized as exemplary that have excelled at making positive changes. At the top of the list are Room & Board, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, and Saatva, but they aren’t the only ones. We also suggest consumers look at the sort of questions to ask and answers to look for on our website and consider those wherever they are shopping. It could be the store closest to you is also deserving of recognition but hasn’t sought it.

gb&d: What do we need to do to make real progress in the industry?

Inglis: Making real progress in reducing the furniture industry’s environmental footprint will involve a conscientious effort on the part of all specifiers to reduce unsustainable inputs, including wood from unsustainable sources, as well as harmful chemical inputs in the production and finishing of furnishing products. It is up to the specifiers to ask, but real progress will also involve greater transparency in our supply chains. In the past not enough questions have been asked about the consequences of our choices in materials and processes. We need to learn a new habit, asking, “What’s it made of?” and insisting on satisfactory answers.