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City Furniture Inc.
Best Practice Achievements
Sustainable Materials
We make a conscious effort to manage our materials selection, seeking materials we are confident are sustainable, such as legally harvested forest products, responsibly produced plantation products, and recycled content:
Recycling and Reclamation
We factor disassembly, recyclability and product reclamation into buying decisions. We offer a product reclamation/product reuse policy:
Return and Reuse
We use recycled or recyclable packing/packaging materials, offer blanket-wrap transportation arrangements for customers and have a carton return/reuse policy:
Chain of Custody
We ask for verifiable chain of custody documents (i.e. legal logging certifications) before buying products containing wood:
Decrease use of Toxic Chemicals
We have decreased our use/acceptance of known toxic chemicals for treatments, binders and finishes, replacing compounds that compromise indoor air quality and are harmful to human health:
Low Environmental Impact Textiles
We are asking our vendors for textiles that have a lower environmental impact, i.e. organic cotton in place of conventionally-grown cotton, as well as seeking other eco-friendly textiles:
Life Cycle Analysis
We are moving forward on doing a Life Cycle Analysis and/or are applying for SMaRT certification:
Local Sourcing
We extract, manufacture and distribute for consumer use within a 500 mile radius for at least a portion of our product line:
Third Party Certifications
We hold third party certifications for some of our products, or as a store, we promote and educate the consumer on the meaning of various third party certifications:
Sharing the Wealth
We take responsibility for sharing our commitment to sustainability up and down our entire supply chain, rewarding our vendors with increased business for partnering with us on sustainability issues:
Social Responsibility Code
We have a written Social Responsibility Code of Contact that is a baseline for employee relations:
Supplier Responsibility
We have written and distributed a Supplier Responsibility Code of Conduct for our vendors and conduct training at our partner facilities on the adoption of same:
Health and Safety Code Compliance
We and our partners meet or exceed all local health and safety codes and can document our health and safety working conditions in all our facilities/stores:
We Pay Living Wages
We pay a living wage rather than minimum wage and extend that around the globe:
We Sponsor Sustainability Events
We have participated in or sponsored in-store, community and/or regional educational events on sustainability and the environment:
We Inspect
We investigate and mitigate any negative environmental impacts from our operations:
Save Paper and Other Office Resources
We save paper and other office resources with a policy expressing an aversion to excess written documentation:
We Use Energy Specialists
We have had an energy specialist or utility company audit to measure our conventional energy usage and are on track to reduce it. We are replacing a portion of the energy we consume with certified renewable energy, either directly, via a program of our local utility, or via Green e-Power:
Updated Inefficient Equipment
We have replaced outdated and inefficient equipment, identified and changed wasteful resource procedures and implemented tighter operational controls:
Energy Efficient Lighting
We have increased the use of day lighting and/or are upgrading to more energy efficient lighting system:
Verified Sustainability Claims
We make only verifiable sustainability claims in adherence with FTC mandates against greenwash and in support of their Environmental Marketing Guides:
Committed to Training
We are committed to conducting training in-house and in the broader community about global climate change and our partnership with the SFC:
In keeping with our commitment to continual improvement, we are planning to take the following actions this year: On reducing energy consumption:
2019: 100% of our furniture is delivered on trucks that run on compressed natural gas, and we have ordered Tesla electric trucks to add to our fleet.
We recycle almost all our packaging and have aggressive programs in place to recycle or donate used furniture to divert it from landfills. City Furniture has its own recycling center, where we bale all of our cardboard waste and send it to a local paper recycling mill that makes products like gift and shipping boxes. We also process and condense all of our Styrofoam packaging and send it to a plant that reprocesses it into plastic materials to make items like picture frames and outdoor furniture. Showrooms and corporate offices recycle office paper, plastic, and toner.
2018: We have transitioned from a distribution fleet of diesel trucks to a fleet of bi-fuel trucks. The trucks run on clean-burning natural gas and have a gasoline emergency reserve. 80% of our fleet is currently bi-fuel and we are continuing to phase out the diesel trucks with goal of 100% bi-fuel fleet. We just put a deposit down to reserve 5 of the first Tesla electric semi trucks for our internal distribution. We will also continue to leverage our on-site CNG station to reduce transportation costs and emissions with our fleet. We have already converted our 1 million square foot distribution center to LED lighting as well as the majority of our stores. We anticipate that 100% of our stores will have LED lighting by the end of the year.
In keeping with our commitment to continual improvement, we are planning to take the following actions this year: On how we will manage our primary material or service to a more sustainable direction:
2019: We are excited to participate in the Wood Furniture Scorecard, for the 2nd year in a row, and improve our overall rating over last year's score.
City Furniture will begin showing a new green collection, featuring 100% FSC Certified Reclaimed wood, a water based finish, and the most environmentally friendly packaging it has ever used. Availability for this furniture line is expected in late July 2019.
2018: We published a Social Compliance and Sustainable Sourcing Policy this year. We are actively pursuing product lines that make use of reclaimed and FSC certified woods. We are also about to test a "green" furniture brand - which will evolve into an entire green product line.
In keeping with our commitment to continual improvement, we are planning to take the following actions this year: On education and promotion of the sustainability cause:
2019: We will promote our participation in and Top Score from the Wood Furniture Scorecard to our staff and consumers. We continue to train staff on the importance of our company's mission and sustainability efforts.
2018: Our sourcing team has signed up for sustainability courses with the University of Colorado. This will evolve into a broader education of much of our marketing staff. Education will also be a key component in our green product line - we will have a top down education throughout sales on the products in the line. Lastly, we are exploring a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation for 2019 that will result in multiple tree planting projects tied directly to unit sales.
