Custom classroom furniture
Environmental and sustainability issues
Pat Kane: "When doing our eco-audit, we found that we were using toluene – which is highly volatile – for removing the labels. So we tested all sorts of adhesives on all the surfaces we put labels on and came up with one that you can peel off and put back on again. So there's 1200 kg of toluene gone from the factory – it saves time and the workers don't go home with headaches any more." (Click to enlarge)
Toluene was used to wipe the excess glue off the PVC edging but has been replaced with a more environmentally acceptable cleaner. (Click to enlarge)
The edge banding machine runs an PVC edge around the cut mdf panels. It applies hot melt to the tape as it is rolled on to the edges, and trims the tape. (Click to enlarge)
A major aim of the company is to be environmentally friendly and sustainable throughout the whole manufacturing process. Sustainability is a strong issue worldwide, both within education and in the building industry, and it's growing exponentially.
"A couple of years ago we could see there was a strong international movement towards the concept of green buildings," said Pat, "so two of us sat the exams got qualified as accredited Green Buildings professionals."
The New Zealand government encourages green building by putting a 10% premium on funding if you get a green rating – the benefits of this have been verified in the US, where it's been going for longer. Furnware wanted to be in a position to say that, if someone wanted a green building, they could supply furniture for it that has Environmental Choice (EC) certification. To get a licence requires approval for the materials and where they're sourced from.
"The system works by providing a downward force. A school that decides to build a green building has to go and look at what they want to put in it. And the suppliers have to be able to verify that their bits comply – otherwise they don't get the points that they need to get their building rated as 'green'.
Furnware went through an exhaustive process of identifying the materials of all of the many components of their range and examining their environmental footprint, looking to make any changes they could to ensure better environmental responsibility and sustainability.
"A good example is the PVC wrap-around edging on the desk," said Pat. "PVC is something that they're trying to minimise in buildings, so we asked our supplier if there was another material we could use. Two other materials appeared to be better, but when we examined the energy use in their production and the long term impact on the environment, PVC still comes out on top, believe it or not. So we stuck with PVC because we could prove that the environmental cost of producing it was lower."
"We now try to source materials from suppliers that can verify that they are recyclable. We see all this as important in the marketplace, and also for our own peace of mind in the way we do things."
The company also went through the factory processes and made changes in, for example, some of the cleaning materials that they use, and identified areas where they could make improvements in their energy usage.
"The environmental or 'green' aspects of manufacturing are starting to ramp up rapidly, despite the tough economic times," said Steve. "There is a perception that introducing a 'green' factor adds to the cost but that's not necessarily so – it can result in savings. It's not a cheap thing to do – there is an initial cost – but there is a payback over time. The bottom line for us is, if a green building is being built and you want to be a supplier, you have to be part of it."
Furnware's EC process expectations can have a knock-on effect with suppliers as exemplified in a recent investigation into the changing of a paint used in the factory. "The EC questions we asked prompted the paint company to say, 'Hey, let's look and see if we can create something that fits with this criteria. And they've really bought into it and got very excited – it's got a lot of potential. Another example is our laminate people, who found suitable alternatives to the formaldehyde in their MDF. "
"It's a win-win situation," said Steve. "At no cost to our company, other companies are developing products that benefit us and will ultimately benefit them too."
Environmentally aware design is also an important issue, particularly in terms of health and safety in the classroom. For example, we have rounded off the sharp corners on our desks so people don't bruise their thighs when passing. That's been a huge improvement for teachers, and it's more important to do that when you've got a bigger desk – because it's a bigger obstacle to have to get around. So there's a whole lot of design features targeting the physical environment they have to work in."
Environmental awareness is built into the company's mission statement:
"Creating best learning environments through research, development, and interactive sharing of knowledge".
This mission statement was a major outcome of a two-day staff development session in 2006 which involved all aspects of the company operation – senior management, production supervisors, sales and customer service staff, finance and purchasing. There they rigourously re-examined core company values and identified what the company was aiming to achieve and its differences from other suppliers in the marketplace. "Every word of the new mission statement was hammered out, refined from a previous version," said Pat. "This ensured there was a real sense of ownership of and commitment to it at every level of the company."
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