Two members of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) have been selected as winner and runner up of the prestigious Sustainability Award for the furniture industry.
Premiere Furniture has been announced as the winner of this year's award, which is organised by The Furniture Makers' Company, the furnishing industry's charity and patron. Another member of FISP, Boss Design, was highly commended by the panel of industry experts.
A FISP member since 2006, Premiere provides cost-effective kitchen and furniture solutions for residential developments, hotels, key worker accommodation, care homes, universities, schools and the MOD. Boss Design, a FISP member since 2007, designs and manufactures high quality corporate seating for office environments.
Both companies are also full members of the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).
The panel of judges, chaired by Jonathan Hindle, the master of the Company, were: Oliver Heal, liveryman; David Walton, chairman of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) steering committee; Alan Marshall, liveryman and environmental advisor; and Nick Hill, freeman and head of quality and innovation for Home at Marks & Spencer. FIRA's environmental consultant, James Bell, assisted and advised the judges.
The judges were impressed by Premiere's comprehensive entry, demonstrating quantifiable results on all the key qualification criteria across every aspect of its business, such as environmental impact, waste, energy, packaging, transport issues, purchasing policies, training, education and employment. Boss Design was selected for its people-orientated management style.
James Bell, also an auditor for FISP, says: "Since its launch in 2006, FISP has become the standard of sustainable excellence for companies across the furniture supply chain and is internationally recognised as the industry's environmental benchmark. With an increasing emphasis placed on sustainability credentials in tender requirements, the scheme is going from strength to strength. I would like to congratulate Premiere Furniture and Boss Design on this fantastic achievement, which recognises the continuous improvements they are making, including how they engage with staff and suppliers."
