Environmental Peace and Qs

Eco-furniture company Q Collection (www.qcollection.com) doesn't see much of a divide between the world inside your home and the world outside of it. They've replaced carcinogenic formaldehyde- and polyurethane-based glues and resins with less-toxic water-based alternatives and replaced polyurethane foams (which can be respiratory irritants) with natural fiber fills, such as organic cotton batting and natural latex. To lighten their footprint on the earth, the company utilizes wood from well-managed forests, natural-fiber upholstery textiles such as hemp and abaca (a fiber made from banana stalks) and low-impact dyes.

The Green Guide recently spoke with Jesse Johnson, co-founder and CEO, about the company's environmental policies.

The Green Guide: What do you think is the most challenging obstacle to producing ecologically sound furniture?
Jesse Johnson: In terms of production logistics, it's been finding production partners who are willing to explore and question their existing methods and work with us on improvements and material substitutions, like wood glues, wood stains, etc. Production costs have been an issue as well. Given that we want full transparency in terms of labor practices and use of our approved materials—and that we are aiming for top quality—we produce in the USA. Our materials are more expensive given they are the best available in terms of health and environment.

Do you investigate how the factories that produce your fabrics and leather impact the environment, i.e. through CO2 emissions, water use, fossil fuel consumption? How do you go about finding suppliers that mimic your environmental goals?
This is one of the challenges. We're introducing production partners to materials that they haven't used before. We're not at the point that we can do both this and have them eliminating emissions, so that's not a make or break for us. The European mills have to do environmental reporting, and we ask for ISO 14000 compliance, an international standard that covers many environmental aspects but doesn't cover renewable energy.

How frequently do you visit your suppliers to ensure that your standards for low environmental impact are met?
It varies by what we're talking about. All our furniture is made in the U.S., and we visit our partners quite frequently: at the start, up to once a week and as relations develop, once every six to eight weeks. We aren't able to visit our European mill partners as frequently, but we have a goal of meeting them once a year.