John Strauss Furniture Design, Ltd. is committed to being a “green” company. That means we will do whatever we can to choose materials that are responsibly produced with a care for the environment in three different stages: 1) where the material is produced (locally whenever possible) 2) where the material is utilized (in our shop - to be handled responsibly and safely for our workers and environment) and 3) in your home (as we make sure you are not exposed to any hazards in your environment.) We make all of our products in our facility in Ohio and build them to last generations. These are not items to be placed in a landfill in twenty years. Lastly, wherever possible we will improve on our practices in production or in the office as new opportunities present themselves and we will continue to educate our clients and vendors.

Manufacturing:

All of our products are produced in our facility in North East Ohio, in the United States. We produce in an artisan shop not a large factory and because of this we are very “lean” in our manufacturing process. We reuse whatever wood cutoffs we can and when wood scraps are no longer they become fuel to heat an artist’s studio. Our wood shavings go to become bedding for organically raised free range chickens. We recycle paper and plastic and glass with a City recycling program.

Products:

We use “Green” materials such as wood fiber panels from recycled wood that also doesn’t contain formaldehyde. This EPP (Environmentally Preferable Product) may contribute to LEED points. We use veneer whenever possible as the surface of furniture is all the client sees anyway and veneer gets the most use out of a tree. When produced properly, a veneer based piece of furniture is equal to or exceeds a solid wood piece of furniture for longevity. All our products are built to last for generations, not to be put into a landfill when they fall apart. Our carbon footprint is small – we produce in the US and buy locally harvested wood from an Amish lumber yard that is a member of the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. (AHMI) Verified Sustainable program. Most of our Harwood lumber comes from the AHMI’s 344-county territory Sustainable Hardwood Forest. All other materials are as regionally obtained as possible and over 90% come from the United States and Canada. All of our finishes are low VOC or VOC free finishes. Our standard finish is totally HAPs free, ultra low formaldehyde and meets European E1 Standard.

We are proud members of the The Sustainable Furnishings Council which is a non-profit balanced coalition of industry players created to promote sustainable practices among manufacturers, designers and consumers alike. SFC has a public tagging program to identify good environmental choices.

Feel free to call or email us if you have any questions about our product or its environmental qualities.