You are here
Ekornes, 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:
2013: Since the late eighties Ekornes has regularly invested in more eco-friendly heating systems to reduce the need of oil and electricity. Today incinerators for wood and pellets from own production represent the main source of energy for heating, supplemented with large systems of heat pumps (both air to air and seawater to air) and heat recovery systems. Oil is only regarded as a secondary source through cold periods and as a back-up system. Continuous investments in eco-friendly technology to obtain shared value between increased efficiency, lower costs, less impact on environment and minimization of health risk for the employees have resulted in a competitive and sustainable value chain. Most of our in-house manufacturing processes are today relatively energy efficient. Ekornes has a long tradition to continuously strive to reduce the use of energy. This is a continuously effort.
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:
2013: Ekornes invests to continuously strengthen competencies in sustainable product development, supplier development and manufacturing. Ekornes has as its long-term objective to develop environmental issues to a competitive advantage through being ahead of our competitors also in this field.
Ekornes develops new products with mainly use of platform components. Use of platform components gives us the opportunity to use advanced technology and robots for mass production – which again leads to a rational use of raw materials and a minimization of waste. Use of platform components gives us the advantage of good and stable quality by focus on fewer different components. This gives our products a long lifespan, which is an important value for greener products.
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:
2013: Ekornes is continuously in dialogue with and has a board member in the federation of Norwegian Industries for furniture. The federation is a part of the overall NHO (Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise) and ensures that society and policy makers understand how important a viable and sustainable industry is for our future welfare. NHO forum for Corporate Social Responsibility supports the members of the confederation and facilitates dialogue between businesses on CSR related issues. Ekornes takes active part in this forum, lobbying for a common best practice approach regarding CSR-related topics, including climate change mitigation and adaption.
The R&D director in Ekornes is the chairman in one of the federation’s initiatives, “Møbelfaktaâ€, which encourages the furniture industry to more transparency towards its stakeholders by implementing environmental management systems and quality- and environmental certifications. The Environment and Quality Manager in Ekornes is member of the technical committee in the Norwegian EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) foundation established by the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises (NHO). The reason for its establishment was an expressed desire from the Norwegian corporate sector related to the development of credible, standardized and internationally valid EPDs for products and services.
