Scorecard targets the back patio

While green interior design continues to grow in popularity among U.S. developers and homeowners, outdoor furniture has received little attention — until now. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) recently announced that Crate & Barrel and Pier 1 Imports Inc. (NYSE: PIR) topped the nonprofits' new sustainable materials scorecard. Retailers that sell a wide range of patio furniture that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council ranked highest.

Home Depot (NYSE: HD), Ikea and Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) all ranked in the scorecard's "second tier," with 36 percent to 70 percent of their outdoor furniture line coming from FSC-certified forests or forests working toward certification. Home Depot recently debuted an Eco Option label to highlight sustainable products in their stores [see “Home Depot introduces Eco Option label,” www.sustainableindustries.com, April 18, 2007].

Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) was at the bottom of the list. The retail giant, which launched its “Embrace the Earth” campaign in 2006, does not offer any FSC-certified outdoor furniture. Smith & Hawken Ltd. and Restoration Hardware Inc. (Nasdaq: RSTO) reportedly opted out of the survey.

Mark Lorenzo, NWF project manager, says the organization targeted the outdoor furniture industry because it’s a fast growing segment of consumer markets and it’s also having a big impact on tropical forest habitat. Imports of tropical wood products have quadrupled in the past decade and outdoor furniture accounts for a fifth of the wooden furniture market, according to NWF. 

The organization plans to update the survey annually. “The idea is that we keep surveying, and the hope is that people see a reason to improve and start to see a customer interest in the certified wood products,” Lorenzo says. In the future, NWF intends to tackle the use of sustainable paper among catalog companies.