by HIGH POINT – The Sustainable Furnishings Council, in collaboration with the National Wildlife Federation, has begun its assessment of over 100 North American residential furniture retailers on their wood sourcing policies. In November, the SFC will release the scorecard, which will gauge the year-over-year progress of each of the furniture retailers assessed in the areas of policy, policy implementation and goal-setting.
This year, the focus is on encouraging companies to set public goals, which can increase potential points in the “Practices and Performance” section of the Scorecard. The scoring methodology is updated annually to encourage continuous progress in implementing wood-sourcing policies and setting and reporting on wood-sourcing goals.
“In sustainability, transparency is the first step that, in turn, leads to the implementation of better practices,” said Scarlette Tapp, executive director of the SFC. “Targets not only hold companies accountable but also give them leverage with vendors in their supply chain.”
“We have been working over the years on promoting sustainable sourcing of materials and ethical labor practices,” said Barbara Bramble, NWF’s vice president for international conservation and corporate strategies. “We are looking at factors such as ensuring the wood doesn’t contribute to deforestation and whether it is certified according to robust environmental and social standards. When companies follow those practices and announce them publicly, not only are their commitments likely to be stronger, but their customers have a better understanding of their purchases.”
About the Methodology
The Wood Furniture Scorecard methodology, updated annually, focuses on publicly available information on corporate websites regarding wood sourcing policies, goals and practices. Additionally, the team reaches out individually to each retailer to ensure all relevant information has been considered.
Through this outreach, assessors offer recommendations and resources for developing and implementing robust wood-sourcing policies addressing deforestation and forest degradation.
About The Wood Furniture Scorecard
The Wood Furniture Scorecard website provides consumers with sustainability information on favorite retailers and offers guidance and tools for companies to improve and implement their sourcing policies. To learn more, visit The Wood Furniture Scorecard.
