Priscille Galceran, global furniture expert at SGS, delivered a speech promoting the importance of sustainability for furniture compliance, safety and performance at Vietnam Wood & Furniture 2017

Priscille Galceran, global furniture expert at SGS, spoke at the Vietnam Wood & Furniture Summit 2017 (VFIS 2017), in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Her speech highlighted the importance of sustainability and established a link between the modern consumer’s demand for sustainability and product compliance, safety and performance.

Ms Galceran began her presentation by looking at market data for the previous five years from the US and Europe. Changes in these markets have shown a clear need for furniture manufacturers to consider sustainability alongside safety and regulation compliance. Retail companies are increasingly looking to promote sustainability, requiring furniture manufacturers to utilize supportable, environmentally neutral sources of timber to maintain market viability.

SGS also used the event to promote its Vietnamese testing and inspection services and introduced a complementary service, closely linked to sustainability, the Cradle to Cradle Certification scheme. SGS is an accredited General Assessor for Cradle to Cradle product certification, a global scheme which encourages innovation and the design of products that effectively and positively impact people and the environment. Businesses working within the scheme have found it helps drive continuous improvement and stimulates product innovation. It also provides a robust marketing tool for company’s looking to differentiate themselves from other manufacturers in the marketplace.

VFIS 2017 attracted stakeholders from around the globe. These included Kartik Shethia from US furniture manufacturer Herman Miller, who also espoused sustainability and referenced Cradle to Cradle Certification, and Anna Wilson and Thanh Nguyen from Ikea, who looked at the Ikea Forestry Standard.

Vietnam is unusual in that it imports the majority of its timber for wood product manufacturing from abroad. Le Thien Duc, from Vietnam’s Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), gave delegates an overview of Vietnam’s wood industry and explained how Vietnam now exports wood products to more than 120 countries all around the world, with major partners including the USA, Japan, China and Korea. In the last eleven years, general exports have increased by 17%, with the wood furniture sector remaining Vietnam’s seventh largest export category – between 2009 to 2016, Vietnam’s wood exports grew by 15.1%.

The summit highlighted the importance of sustainability in today’s wood and furniture industry sector. During the last decade, Vietnam has become a major center for timber processing meaning it must focus its attention on sustainability to remain a viable player in global furniture manufacturing.

SGS Furniture service in Vietnam
SGS in Vietnam offers the full-range of furniture testing and inspections services and have the industry, regulatory and technical expertise required to help businesses ensure compliance against relevant standards and specifications. They help manufacturers deliver sustainable, well-designed, functional, safe and compliant products to their customers. Learn more about SGS’s Furniture Services (www.sgs.com/furniture)

SGS Global Service - Cradle to Cradle
SGS is an accredited General Assessor for the Cradle to Cradle product certification scheme, administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. They can assess products and determine their conformity with the Cradle to Cradle Certified Products Standard at sites around the world. Learn more about SGS Global Service - Cradle to Cradle (www.sgs.com/en/consumer-goods-retail/ecodesign-lca-epd-and-circular-economy-certification)

For more information, please contact:

Priscille Galceran
Global Furniture Expert
SGS CTS (France)
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines

About SGS
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 90,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,000 offices and laboratories around the world.

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This release was published on openPR.