Margaret Puckette of Corvallis, Oregon, won for her Children's Furniture design, "A tower of Shelves." Puckette fabricated the tower entirely from pine mill by-products pulled randomly from the scrap conveyor of Collins Pine Sawmill in Chester, California. Make sure they use water based glues, stains and sealers as well as reclaimed or FSC wood.

Note: Use on finished wood surfaces only. From the perspective of sustainable furniture designers, waste is a form of design failure. The UNEP Sasakawa Prize acts as an incentive for environmental efforts that are sustainable and replicable in the long-term.

Pirwi is a Mexico City-based furniture company that operates under sustainable practices. ArborSculpture Living tree trunks grown into the shape of furniture, houses and more by bending and grafting. It begins with identifying the source of wood products, rejecting those identified as illegal, progressing to working with sources that are on the road to certification, and finally, purchasing only certified wood. Wood is so widely used as a heating and cooking fuel that supplies of wood in many poorer nations are under dire threat.

Crate & Barrel appears to be working with both the FSC and Sustainable Furniture Initiative certifications. Consider furniture as an investment rather than an expense. Today's market boasts a vast array of ecofurniture that features reclaimed wood, recycled parts, and certified sustainable woods.

The less chemicals used to produce your wood furniture, the healthier it is for you and the environment. In the true style of sustainability, these exotic hardwoods are renovated and reclaimed in our mills, and crafted into the timeless furniture you see in our online catalog. However, removing the existing finish can decrease the value of a piece of furniture.

Value for business One new producer group member, Inspiration Furniture, hopes to play a leading role in the push for responsible forestry in Malaysia, and by doing so, to increase its business opportunities. Representatives from the Rainforest Alliance, a non-profit international conservation organization, are taking part in an innovative new group called the Sustainable Furniture Council, which brings together members of the home furnishings industry and organizations that are committed to responsible business practices and promoting furniture that is produced in an environmentally and socially responsible way. With sustainable wood, one thing is clear: Everyone, including the environment, wins. For concerned retailers, the challenge is to create efficiencies and promote sustainable practices wherever and whenever possible.