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Huntington House, 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: We keep almost ALL - almost 100% - of our waste out of the landfill. We recycle everything. We've trained our teams to sort each type of manufacturing and packaging waste. We give our sawdust waste to another local furniture company and they use it in their boiler to heat their facility. We re-purpose or donate wood palettes. We can make utility bins or bucks out of palettes or scrap wood for workers to use at their stations.
We have upgraded our method of cutting wood frames, using a CNC machine instead of a person which can "nest" the pattern parts, making more efficient wood cuts with less wood waste. This has reduced our wood waste by 2/3rds. We can reuse some of the wood drops have become other parts of a furniture frame. There are people who operate the CNC machine, so no one loses a job.
We keep our cut frame parts organized into a system, and if a furniture frame is discontinued, we try to reuse those parts to build other frames.
Most of our furniture is built to order, so less storage or floor space is needed to keep inventory.
Our wood finishes have less or no VOC's, though the finishers use respiratory masks to keep from breathing in any fumes.
The factory's air compressor system is programmed to be off when not in use, so that saves money and energy.
We have changed our lighting to LED light fixtures and bulbs. We recycle the bulbs - and even pay to recycle some.
2014: We will initiate an energy audit and seek to reduce our energy consumption
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 have become members of Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc., which provides certification that the wood we purchase is Verified Sustainable and Verified Legal.
To create our frames, we use glue dowels instead of an adhesive. The glue is activated by steam, and it is water-soluble. This works very well - it creates a secure attachment, its efficient for the operators to use and less messy. We don't have any waste with this type of product - no chance of spills, no harmful VOCs, and no containers to throw away.
The foam we use in our upholstered pieces is CertiPUR certified - made without harmful chemicals, including formaldehyde, and has extremely low VOC emissions.
2018 (and prior): We mainly use hardwood and some plywood that is from a certified source, some of it is FSC Certified.
2014: We seek to improve our efficiency and reduce waste in our woodworking operations
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: GREEN AP on staff.
We are updating our website to reflect our values in sustainability.
We have a Wellness Plan in place for our employees and staff, with an incentive to create health and wellness in their lives.
Our Human Resource Assistant is becoming a sustainability expert, and is planning to take SFC's GREENleaders course to become more familiar with materials and resources to use (and those to avoid) for the continuous improvement of our manufacturing and for the safety of our workers.
We are educating our Sales Team on the benefits of SFC membership, and on the sustainable efforts we have in place. We see it is a value, a talking point, and a sales strategy to use with our dealers and end users.
2018: We plan to add a sustainability section to our website, educate employees and customers on our sustainability efforts.
