Decca Goes Eco
Green day is coming for the contract, hospitality and residential manufacturer's Chinese operations.
Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 10/17/2007 12:00:00 AM
The U.S. Green Building Council's domain stops several thousand miles short of China's Dongguan City—where Decca Furniture USA is nevertheless upholding stateside standards for its 1.2-million-square-foot-plus factory.
Just days after announcing that its Decca Hospitality division would convert to all-green production by the end of the year by using only rapidly renewable wood, postconsumer recycled materials and low-emitting chemicals, the High Point, NC-headquartered company unveiled a series of sustainability initiatives across all its divisions. These include Atlanta-based office furniture producer Decca Contract, and High Point-based residential manufacturer Bolier & Company.
John Fischbach, president of Decca Contract, says environmental responsibility is now "a prime core value within our corporate culture," while Nick Hart, president and CEO of Decca Hospitality, calls the division's green conversion "unprecedented in the hospitality furniture market." Unprecedented, certainly, for Chinese manufacturers, who have come under increased scrutiny in other product sectors for safety and environmental issues, making Decca's eco embrace as timely as it is consequential.
Though Decca's factory already boasts green elements—more than 150 trees moved and replanted during construction, a rooftop garden that reduces heat and grows food, energy-efficient lighting that saves 550-plus hours of electricity annually—new initiatives will ensure that products made there will contribute points toward LEED and Green Globes certification.
As the contract division re-engineers certain processes to improve operational performance and reduce environmental impact, it will also move toward adopting the soon-to-be-green credentials of its sister hospitality division: Rapidly renewable and responsibly harvested woods, materials with postconsumer recycled content, and low-emitting paints, adhesives and sealants. The divisions will also utilize reusable, recyclable or compostable materials in packaging and shipping.
Both divisions are looking outside of the Guangdong Province for eco-assistance. Decca Hospitality turned to its leading hotel clients, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, to help chart its course toward sustainability. Energy and Environmental Solutions is helping to facilitate Decca Contract's green transition by analyzing the manufacturer's supply chain, products and operations.
"Our goal is to change our manufacturing processes with minimal or no increase in prices, while ultimately offering our clients better, more sustainable products," says Richard Herbst, president of Decca Furniture USA and deputy managing director of Decca Holdings. "It's good for the environment, but it also makes good business sense."
For more information, go to deccacontract.com, deccahospitality.com, or bolierco.com. To take a virtual tour of current and future offerings from Decca's contract, hospitality and residential divisions, click above to start the slide show.
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