By: Furniture World Magazine\u00c2\u00a0
\nNorwalk Furniture Corp. announced that they have established a new set of “green” standards and will be
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\nusing more natural and renewable resources, as well as recycled materials, including: 10 percent soy-based foam and reclaimed wire and steel in seating systems, and natural fibers in the upholstering process.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We understand the need to bring products to market that not only promote health and well-being, but also conservation of the environment,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Rick McKirahan, president of the leading custom upholstery company. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Norwalk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s production systems not only maximize recycling efforts, but also use energy and resources sparingly,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d finishes McKirahan.<\/p>\n
Cushions comprised of soy-based foam: Using upwards of 20 to 30 trailers of foam a week, Norwalk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s product development team was in search of a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgreen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 alternative. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We knew that we had to replace the petroleum-based foam product we were using,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says McKirahan. Norwalk soon made that change upon learning of Preserve \u00e2\u201e\u00a2 by Hickory Springs \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a flexible polyurethane foam product that replaces a portion of petrochemical-based ingredients with soybeans \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a sustainable and renewable resource. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was an important product in support of our \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgreen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 mission,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d finishes McKirahan.<\/p>\n
Today, all of the upholstery manufactured in Norwalk, Ohio, is comprised of 10 percent soy-based foam, courtesy of Preserve. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The introduction comes at the right time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says McKirahan, pointing to rising petroleum prices and concerns about raw material availability. Despite Preserve\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bio-based background, the foam delivers the same comfort, durability and support of Norwalk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s previous seating system.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the most innovative cushioning material that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve used since the introduction of high-resilience foam in the 80s, and it outperforms conventional foam,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Jeff Gross, director of product development at Norwalk Furniture Corp.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153More and more customers are environmentally-conscious, and seeking products that are labeled as such,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Gross. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re aware that these products also carry the same, or improved, quality.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In addition to soy foam, Norwalk uses water-based glue for cushion components. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going green anywhere we can,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he finishes.<\/p>\n
Seating made of recycled wire and steel: Another step in Norwalk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s journey is the use of recycled wire and steel in the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s state-of-the-art eight-way fabricated soft seating system called S3 Coil.<\/p>\n
The double coil soft seating system \u00e2\u20ac\u201c hence the S3 designation \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is arranged so that every square inch of seating area receives the necessary (and anticipated) comfort and support. According to Gross, this is achieved using only recycled wire and steel, which helps to prevent the continued digging of new, unearthed raw materials.<\/p>\n
Other recycled building materials: Proactively green, Norwalk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ongoing commitment also shows in its selection of construction materials. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re contributing to a building better environment in our product selections,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Gross. In fabrics, for example, the company opts for natural fibers such as cotton, linen and new wool. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re trying to get away from petroleum-based products,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he adds. No toxic substances are used in processing of natural-born fibers.<\/p>\n
The company also leans toward hardwood laminates from faster growing hardwoods rather than slow-growing counterparts. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It takes 40 to 60 years for forests to regenerate,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Gross. Norwalk has been a member of the Tennessee Forestry Association for more than 30 years now; the organization works to utilize \u00e2\u20ac\u0153select\u00e2\u20ac\u009d timber, promote forest growth, and has planned hardwood usage.<\/p>\n
Other examples of earth friendlier practices implemented at Norwalk include the use of 50 to 100 percent recycled textile goods and fiber content in such items as cotton batting and fiber wrap, and cardboard and other packaging made from 100 percent recycled materials.<\/p>\n
In the fuel conversation category, Norwalk uses bio-diesel fuel, which is 2 percent soy-based in winter months, and 5 percent in the summer. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We also set tractor governors lower,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d finishes Gross.<\/p>\n
For information, visit the Norwalk Furniture Web site at www.norwalkfurniture.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Furniture World Magazine\u00c2\u00a0 Norwalk Furniture Corp. announced that they have established a new set of “green” standards and will be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-furniture-world-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}