Inhabitat: Sustainable furniture (especially when the pieces are made one at a time as opposed to en masse) is typically very expensive. How does Fashion4Home plan to keep costs down and build business that is both profitable and eco-concsious?
JB: First, our cost savings are purely based on supply chain organization, not on production – production is sometimes more expensive due to technology used, but money is saved down the track due to no double margins and no stock keeping cost/overstock.
Second, our products aren’t typically going to be made one at a time, but rather in batches. Each product will have a minimum order quantity that makes sense, according to a number of variables such as cost and availability of materials, availability of supplier resources, etc.
Another way we keep our process sustainable is by working with innovative manufacturers that use new furniture materials such as bamboo, a fast growing renewable resource.
We also conduct regular audits that include an ecological aspect – helping companies learn manufacturing best practices in terms of efficiency and waste elimination.
Inhabitat: What are your future plans to make your furniture even more sustainable?
JB: We are looking into a few areas where we can make continual improvement, including efficient designs that create minimal waste during production, the use of new materials and the optimization of our logistics routes to minimize total milage.
Fashion4Home will also be offering Inhabitat readers a 10% discount good on all furnishings through the end of February: INHABITAT-F4H
Follow Fashion4Home on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Fashion4Home
I love this approach to market research. Oh that all companies took such care to avoid un-needed/wanted inventory destined for liquidation. All production should be based on need, not speculation. Kudos!
So pretty! and good for the environment too. Will start using more of these furniture
Kinda sounds like a focus group, but with a twist. I like it!