Celebrating 20 Years of the Sustainable Furnishings Council

Twenty Years of Sustainability in Practice

In October 2006, a small group of furniture manufacturers, retailers, designers, and advocates gathered at High Point Market around an idea that was ahead of its time: that the home furnishings industry could be a force for environmental good. That gathering led to the formation of the Sustainable Furnishings Council.

This October, we return to High Point to mark our 20th anniversary. It is a milestone I am deeply grateful to share with all of you, because SFC's story has never been about one organization. It is about the people and companies who chose to treat sustainability not as a trend, but as a commitment.

Looking Back: Two Decades of Progress

When I look at our timeline, what stands out is how consistently this community moved from conversation to practice. A few of the moments that shaped us:

• 2008: GREENleaders began offering live sustainability continuing education courses at markets and showrooms nationwide, and in 2020 the program moved online to reach designers everywhere.
• 2017: With Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, the American Sustainable Business Network and the Center for Environmental Health, we launched the What's It Made Of? pledge, asking manufacturers to understand what is in their materials and look into their supply chains.
• 2018: Together with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), we introduced the Wood Furniture Scorecard to assess retailers on responsible wood sourcing.
• 2023: We relaunched our brand and debuted a new interactive website at Fall High Point Market and hosted a Sustainability Tour, stopping at five SFC Member showrooms with 35 designers.
• 2024: The Eco-Insight Assessment was launched, giving members a dashboard and self-assessment to benchmark their sustainability progress.
• 2025: Our members voted to bring SFC's tools into Cascale, a global alliance of more than 300 consumer goods organizations.

Each of these milestones was made possible by members who were willing to ask harder questions of their own supply chains, and to share what they learned with one another.

Celebrating the People Behind the Progress

On Friday, October 16, SFC and Cascale will host an invitation-only reception at the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame in High Point. It is fitting that we celebrate where SFC began.

The evening will honor our Founding Members, longtime member companies, board leaders, staff, and industry partners, including our Founding Director, Susan Inglis. We are also grateful to our anniversary sponsors, Naturepedic, Gat Creek, and the High Point Market Authority, for helping make this celebration possible.

Chair of the SFC board, Michela O'Connor Abrams said: "Twenty years is a remarkable milestone, but what matters most is what those 20 years have made possible: a community that continues to challenge the industry to think differently and act with greater purpose."

Looking Ahead: Our Next Chapter with Cascale

This anniversary is not a farewell. It is a continuation. Through Cascale, SFC's work now connects to a global community working on climate, materials, chemistry, supply chains, and workers' rights, which opens new opportunities for home furnishings companies to collaborate beyond our own industry.

In the meantime, SFC continues as a membership organization, and the work goes on. Wood Furniture Scorecard 2026 assessments of more than 100 North American retailers have been finalized, with results to be published in November. A Home Furnishings Task Force is also helping shape what future membership will look like, informed by the voices of our members.

Ying McGuire, CEO of Cascale, shared: "As that legacy moves into a global community, we can build on what SFC created while connecting the home furnishings industry to broader collaboration."

Thank You

To every member, partner, designer, and advocate who has been part of SFC over these 20 years: THANK YOU! You are the reason this milestone means so much.

If you are a member, I hope you will continue with us by renewing your SFC membership, so that your voice is part of what comes next. If you are new to SFC, we would welcome the opportunity to connect. Please reach out to me directly, and I hope to see many of you at High Point.

With gratitude,

Scarlette Tapp, Executive Director

Sustainable Furnishings Council