Exporters not keen on going green

Cebu furniture exporters are still not keen on pushing an industry wide campaign on the “Green Brand” trend despite the growing popularity of the usage of “green” products in the world market.

Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF) vice president Charles Estreegan said although a few companies are slowly shifting towards the “green” manufacturing system, the “green revolution” has not yet reached an industry wide effort.

"We have to be careful in labeling our products 'green'. We need the right foundations first because when you say it's a 'green' product, you have to address the entire supply chain and not just the end-result," he said.

He, however, said that CFIF as a support organization of furniture makers has been advocating its member-companies on proper environment management system in the last five years. But marketing Cebu's furniture products as "green" is still a far-fetch idea, he stressed.

Streegan describes this bold move to be "difficult and challenging" considering that strictly adhering to the "green" movement is, to a certain extent, expensive for furniture manufacturers.

A "zero-emission" on plywood, for instance, would incur an additional 40 percent production cost, he said.

"Generally, everybody wants to go 'green' but not everyone is willing to pay for being 'green'. We are still trying to find that happy balance," said Streegan.

Awareness now in the global front on the global warming situation, have prompted environmental activists to launch series of global campaigns to convince the worldwide consumer market to highly patronize products that are produced via "Green Operation" or full environment conscious--manufacturing system.

Ruby Salutan, CFIF executive director said branding their products "green" mean "calculating the entire ecological backpack from its inception, birth, death, and rebirth, which is through the recycling of waste materials."

If the Cebu furniture industry will hastily brand their products "Green", it would not be fair to consumers as some companies are still not complying with the ultimate "green" operational system.

Cebu Nature's Legacy, owned by renowned furniture designer Pete Delantar is considered the most vocal "green" product follower from among CFIF's member-companies, Streegan said.

On the other hand, CFIF has been conducting an "industry self-policing" program by encouraging its members to manage their own environmental issues. It is also partnering with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the Philippine Environment and Partnership Program.

Streegan bared CFIF is presently collaborating with the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Department of Science and Technology for a series of seminars on "green" products.

Earlier, the Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters- Cebu (FAME) announced that the industry is now responding to the clamor for eco-fashion items through the "Go Green" hangtag.

Under this program, a company who makes a donation of $2,500 for planting 2,500 trees has naming rights to use the Go Green Philippines trademark for its marketing purposes.