Article Number : 2656 |
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| Date | 11/6/2007 8:33:14 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2656 |
| Abstract | By Louis Iannaco As a result of the demand for new and interesting looks, hardwood flooring suppliers have been challenged to find and make readily available a number of exotic species from around the world... |
| Article | By Louis Iannaco As a result of the demand for new and interesting looks, hardwood flooring suppliers have been challenged to find and make readily available a number of exotic species from around the world. That also means dealing with things like illegal logging, finding the best materials available and keeping prices affordable. So how exactly are some of the hardwood flooring mills handling the sourcing of product from exotic locales in today’s business/environmental climate? Don Finkell, COO of Anderson Hardwood Floors, is an expert on wood sourcing, and being environmentally and socially responsible are top priorities. “We’re always concerned our suppliers are taking the right steps to ensure the legality of what they send us,” he explained. “Our South American suppliers (Brazil and Paraguay) have documentation on all wood, and our Chinese suppliers use SGS, a French verification firm to ensure legality. The Indonesian products are coming from a source that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as sustainable. This is the highest certification you can get.” Finkell noted that in one instance Anderson had some faulty documentation from one former supplier in China on merbau. “We stopped using them. They said it was from Malaysia when it really was from Papua New Guinea.” He added that Anderson has stopped merbau, Santos mahogany and teak because they come from areas where illegal logging is prevalent. “Consumers do not know nor ask about illegal logging.” According to Finkell, the most popular exotic species in the U.S. today are jatoba, merbau, kempas, Santos mahogany and tigerwood. Shaw Industries, which got into the hardwood flooring arena several years ago, is also a firm believer that integrity is paramount when it comes to sourcing from abroad. “While Shaw’s core strategy is to supply as much domestic wood to its customers as possible, we require vendor certification that all products we purchase are legally harvested and produced,” said David Wilkerson, vice president of marketing for the Hard Surface division. “While this policy limits the number of suppliers we will consider, it protects the integrity of our product line.” Shaw sources wood products from Brazil, China and other Asian countries. “The vast majority of consumers are not aware of the problem of illegal logging,” Wilkerson said, “although there does seem to be an increasing awareness among consumers who are environmentally savvy.” Wilkerson agreed with Finkell in that jatoba, merbau, Santos mahogany and tigerwood are popular, adding Brazilian teak to the list. “Bamboo, while not an actual hardwood, is also very popular.” Dewevai Buchanan, vice president of Mohawk Industries’ wood division, said the company does its homework before sourcing. “We have not experienced issues related to illegal logging in our sourcing activities. We practice detailed due diligence in the selection of our suppliers which has yielded positive results to date. At this point, the awareness factor [of the illegal logging issue] is higher with the trade than with the typical consumer.” Mohawk currently sources materials from Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Brazil and China. According to Buchanan, jatoba, Santos mahogany, tigerwood, Ipe and Cumaroo are the top five most popular sourced exotic species, all of which come from Brazil. A different perspective Gerald Schappell, vice president of North America for Cikel, which does its sourcing exclusively with Brazil, said the company has no issues with illegal logging because it owns “over a million acres of land in the Amazon. All the material we source comes from our own forest,” he said. “We are under the government’s watch constantly because we are an FSC-certified mill. As a matter of fact, one of the owners of Cikel is also on the Forestry Council for the government. The biggest thing we encounter are those who are illegally clear-cutting the land, but [it doesn’t affect us directly].” More and more consumers are becoming aware of the issue of illegal logging, according to Schappell. “I believe more people are starting to ask questions like, ‘Where did this come from?’ ‘Are they a good company? ‘Are they friendly to the environment?’ You can track all of this information now so you can’t be telling stories. That’s the good part of it for us. People more and more are becoming sincerely concerned with the long-term effects on the environment.” |