Crate & Barrel is making some significant green steps with its furniture. Is anyone noticing?
The Lockport line consisting of a chair & sofa are examples. The line is made for Crate & Barrel by North Carolina-based Lee Furniture. Both items feature the "Natural Lee Package" which includes a number of eco-friendly processes and components. Just like the ecotainer coffee cup, several companies are involved in making Crate & Barrel's furniture a reality.
Crate & Barrel's Lockport Sofa & Chairs are filled with Preserve™, a flexible polyurethane foam that utlizies BiOH polyol derived from soybeans. The foam developed by Cargill replaces 20% of the petroleum-based foam and outperforms traditional foam in firmness, retention, support and durability.
Other components of the furniture include wood frames constructed from panels bonded with soy-based resins, replacing formaldehyde-based resins. Panels used by Lee are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Wood used in the furniture is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Rainforest Alliance.
The back cushions and throw pillows are made of 100% recycled fibers from soda bottles. Seat deck and trim pads are made up of 80% regenerated fibers that consist of virgin and waste fibers.
Water based finishes are used on the wood frame and upholstery fabrics are woven from organic fibers and chemical free cotton.
While Crate & Barrel does promote the environmental benefits of this furniture they could do more. Most of the information obtained for this story was through the manufacturer not Crate & Barrel.
It is interesting to me to have a product like this featured but not cover all the aspects of the product design. Consumers who are interested in this type of product are more prone than any other segment of the buying population to spend time researching a product's greenness. Most do not have several days to contact manufacturers and sift through information.
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