Article Number : 5488 |
|
Article Detail |
|
 | |
| Date | 4/15/2010 6:05:11 PM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=5488 |
| Abstract | By Liz Switzer Everyone is talking green — green products, carbon footprint reduction — but most people don’t really know what “green” means, research shows. Overcoming that educational gap is becoming a larger focus and... |
| Article | By Liz Switzer Everyone is talking green — green products, carbon footprint reduction — but most people don’t really know what “green” means, research shows. Overcoming that educational gap is becoming a larger focus and growing challenge for the flooring industry. A recent study conducted by a nationally recognized green marketing firm asked consumers to name those features a home would need before they would consider it green. Four in 10 (42%) said they didn’t know, while 28% said solar, 12% said compact fluorescent light bulbs and 10% named Energy Star appliances. Nothing else really registered, according to Suzanne Shelton, CEO of the Shelton Group, the Knoxville, Tenn., firm that conducted the study. Yet World Floor Covering Association research also shows that more flooring consumers are researching their purchases and visiting more stores before making a decision. So it is clearly not enough anymore just to talk the green talk: You have to walk the green walk. Here’s how some of green leaders in flooring are meeting that challenge. Hendricksen Natürlich Flooring in Sebastopol, Calif., the 2002 Sonoma County Environmental Business of the Year, has been a green destination flooring dealer since 1989. Founder and owner Rob Hendricksen, a consultant to architects, designers and builders seeking sustainable materials, said the real concept is natural — not green. “I stay away from the green word,” he said. “Now even the word sustainable is getting abused and I don’t want to come across as having the magic pill.” The key for dealers is to be knowledgeable about the products they carry then to ensure those products meet the environmental criteria for sustainability. Hendricksen does that by selling only natural materials such as linoleum, wool rugs and sustainably harvested wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). “My customers tell me that when they explore other stores the salespeople don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to sustainably harvested wood, or worse they just don’t care,” he said. Hendricksen advises his customers that locally sourced wood products are a good choice but reclaimed is the best option. Exotics are OK too, as long as they have been harvested and managed correctly, he added. Maryanne Adams, CEO, Avalon Carpet and Tile, said she deals with the consumer knowledge gap on several levels. Signage at the front of the store advises customers to ask about eco-friendly products and lets them know as soon as they walk into the store that those green options are available. Avalon also advertises its own carbon reduction footprint practice, such as recycling and energy-efficient lighting. Her strategy for dealing with the confusing issue of wood flooring eco-certification is to very carefully choose her suppliers. “We put the burden on them,” she said. All of Avalon’s suppliers also regularly conduct training for the sales force, including any environmental issues that arise. San Francisco wood distributor Golden State Flooring is trying to overcome the knowledge barrier in its dealer base with green seminars which have been extremely well attended, according to Ed Paulus, Golden State project manager. The wholesaler has had an FSC chain- of-custody certificate for 11 years but in the past has focused its marketing initiatives on sales only. That is now changing, he said. The green seminars are not only helpful to salespeople but offer Golden State a way to further differentiate itself as the only distributor making such an effort. “It is a new incentive for our customers to come to us.” Wood industry and consultant Jason Grant developed the program as well as sustainable product training for supplier EcoTimber. EcoTimber University — a four-course program — gets high marks from its trainees. EcoTimber also takes its knowledge base directly to the end user with consumer educational kiosks that double as a display. At the push of a button, a consumer can navigate the language of wood certification programs and what they mean in terms of her purchase. Suppliers Shaw and Anderson are taking steps to address sustainable sales training and education with their sales force as well as their dealer base. Both are making sustainability the centerpiece of their wood story. For example, Shaw is doing some very simple things from a merchandising and marketing perspective, including an in-store brochure called “The Lacey Act: It’s the Law” and a free-standing merchandising piece featuring a big chainsaw. |