The American Home Furnishings Alliance has awarded Ethan Allen its Sustainable by Design registration, recognizing the manufacturer and retailer's environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
The company also has expanded its Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture registration to all of its corporate distribution and home delivery service centers.
Officials said the two developments signify Ethan Allen's ongoing efforts to boost its green business practices.
"Green isn't a buzzword here, it's our business model," Farooq Kathwari, CEO, said in a statement. "We are passionately committed to the idea that good business and environmental responsibility go hand in hand."
The AHFA created EFEC to help furniture manufacturers improve their management of resources and raw materials. It aims to reduce energy and water consumption and waste as well as associated costs.
To enter the SBD program, Ethan Allen had to implement the EFEC environmental management system at all of its domestic plants. In August 2012, it completed the EFEC registration at five plants and one sawmill and was granted the SBD registration for those facilities in October 2013.
Ethan Allen said it has reduced its carbon footprint by 32%, its electrical use by 21%, greenhouse gas emissions by 26% and landfill waste by 54%. The company also increased its recycling by 21%.
Paul Kaminski, the company's corporate director of environment, health and safety, said the company's SBD registration is the result of "efforts made over the past decade, including a reduction of pollutants by 95%," which was recognized by the EPA.
In October, the company initiated its EFEC registration for its domestic service and warehouse/distribution centers. It said it plans to extend the program to its network of nearly 150 company-owned stores.
