Young America moves all production to United States
YA 2.0 promises customization, quick-shipping and new safety and eco-friendly benefits
Jenny Heinzen York -- Kids Today, 9/13/2009 6:19:00 AM
LIVE FROM MARKET – This week, Stanley Furniture’s Young America division announces that it will move its entire production into the United States, effective in November.
Company officials told Kids Today, “the new Young America promises to be ‘the brand you can trust’ with the overriding intention to lead the infant and youth furniture industry by delivering more than just products and continual improvement. The promise is designed to draw a line in the sand and ultimately define the Young America brand. Most importantly, the promise will distinguish Young America from all competitors and build credibility as a powerful brand that both retailers and consumers will grow to value.”
As of Nov. 16, Young America will not ship any sourced product, said Kevin Walker, vice president of product development for Young America. China- and Vietnam-produced merchandise previously made up about 25% of the line.
Because of the move on-shore, the company has promised four major commitments to the product line, including new levels of color, choice and customization; safety; eco-consciousness and quality.
“This new program gives the (retail) salesperson a reason to trade up, and gives the reason for a consumer to trade up,” said Glenn Prillaman, the recently-named president of Stanley Furniture.
“We view this strategy as a way of positioning ourselves in the marketplace as the leader,” Walker said. “We are providing options that no one else can offer at this time.”
Color and customization
“It’s very difficult in the youth business to differentiate in design like we do in the adult business,” Prillaman said.
To combat that, Young America is offering 60 new finish options, representing an increase of about 70% in the number of choices available to consumers.
The finishes are no longer pattern-specific, so they can now be applied to any style or any wood.
“The multiplicity of finishes across the product line creates an option story that completely unmatched in the marketplace,” Prillaman told Kids Today.
“After the tremendous success of our myHaven collection, we were confident that the ability to customize furniture with color was becoming more than just a trend,” said Prillaman. “That’s why we decided to take customization to the next level. Now consumers can mix and match styles, colors and finish effects to create the perfect fit for all design tastes.”
Safety
Young America cribs certified free of unsafe emissions Each of Young America’s cribs has received the GreenGuard Children & Schools Certification, company officials announced.
GreenGuard Environmental Institute is an industry-independent, nonprofit organization that specializes in improving public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air quality. Since its inception in 2001, GEI has been using environmental chamber technology to certify products for chemical emissions and uphold rigorous Indoor Air Quality standards that are specific to sensitive environments.
Products with the GreenGuard Children & Schools certification comply with the State of California’s Department of Health Services Standard Practice (CA Section 01350) for testing chemical emissions from building products used in schools, offices and other sensitive environments.
According to Cristina Loth, Young America’s vice president of engineering and the company’s newly appointed “Green Czar,” the health and safety of a child starts with where he/she spends the most time. Children spend about 85% of their time indoors where the air can be two to five times more polluted than the air outdoors.
“Naturally, the indoor air quality of a child’s room is largely attributed to the furniture within that space,” Loth said. “If the furniture does not meet strict emission level standards of pollutants like VOCs, formaldehyde and phthalates, a developing child -- unlike a fully developed adult -- is much more susceptible to long-term health risks. With all of these findings and Young America’s commitment to being the industry’s leader, GreenGuard certification was the most logical next step for us.”
“This is a highly-regarded third-party certification in the infant and youth furniture industry and beyond,” said Glenn Prillaman, president of Young America parent company Stanley Furniture. “We are excited and proud to be part of such an elite group of products.” – Jenny Heinzen York |
All Young America cribs have been GreenGuard certified, referencing the emissions from the products (see sidebar at right).
Young America is also creating and publishing its own branded set of safety standards, which the company says will surpass all mandatory or voluntary product safety guidelines, including CPSC, JPMA and ASTM standards.
“The timing couldn’t be any better, considering all the recalls and the heightened awareness among consumers about safety,” Walker said. “I think we’re going to be sitting in the catbird seat in terms of timing this.”
Environmental Consciousness
In addition to the GreenGuard certification, Young America has pledged to reduce the amount of materials used to pack and ship the products, and to re-use and recycle more during the production process. The furniture will be made from certified American hardwoods, with nearly no rubberwood or engineered woods being used.
Quality
Young America is implementing a new five-year warranty against manufacturing defects, and has created a newly-engineered furniture packaging model that will reduce freight damage.
In addition to the finish options, Young America consumers will be able to take advantage of the brand’s customization prowess without significant price premiums or delivery delays, according to a press release from the company.
“The shift back to a 100% American manufacturing platform has enabled us to gain complete control over our products,” said Steve Bullock, vice president of operations.
“That means our own Young America employees affect the outcome of every unique piece of furniture we produce and the speed at which we deliver it - directly fromRobbinsville, N.C., not some overseas supplier.”
Eighty-five percent of the line will ship with two weeks, and the remainder will ship in less than 30 days.
Prillaman said the speed-to-market aspect, as well as the customization options, gives retailers the ability to order only floor samples, rather than investing in inventory.
“When you can place an order for quality, customized furniture and receive it within 30 days, there is really no need to house inventory,” he said. “That translates into considerable overhead savings for Young America retailers.
“With this move, we will, bar none, be the best manufacturer in the world of infant, juvenile and youth residential wood furniture.”
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Dear D. Hernandez,
As the Communications Manager for the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), I would like to correct some misconceptions regarding the GREENGUARD program and offer some background information on GEI and the GREENGUARD Certification ProgramSM for clarification.
The GREENGUARD Certification Program evolved out of the AQSpec list program developed by Air Quality Sciences (AQS) in 1996 to identify manufacturers and products that had been found to meet product emissions standards established by the State of Washington and the office furniture emissions standard established by the EPA for its headquarters’ project. It became apparent that it was not enough simply to test products one time and publish low-emissions results. Ongoing product performance can be influenced if there is no control over selection and handling of the products, age of the products or manufacturing variability. An independent organization was needed to establish robust procedures, protocols and verification processes as part of a certification program independent from industry or monetary interests. GEI was founded in 2001 as a not-for-profit organization to oversee the GREENGUARD Certification Program. We are following industry-leading ISO Guide 65 principles to avoid potential conflicts of interest and employ the necessary checks and balances. AQS serves as a GREENGUARD Program Technical Partner as does TUV Rheinland LGA. GEI also uses Bureau Veritas for product evaluations. In short, AQS and GEI continue to operate openly and transparently.
Currently, GREENGUARD Certification focuses exclusively on certifying products for low chemical emissions as much of our exposure to chemicals occurs through inhalation. We make no claim regarding chemical content. To address the issue of chemical exposure through contact and ingestion, the recently launched GREENGUARD Premier pilot program includes chemical content criteria including phthalates.
Furthermore, GEI is an ANSI accredited standards developer and has an approved ANSI standard for Mold and Moisture Management. All of our methods and standards are publicly available on our website (www.greenguard.org) and are based on established standards and procedures including ASTM standards, California DHS section 01350, the EPA’s testing protocol for furniture, the State of Washington’s protocol for interior furnishings and construction materials and Germany’s Blue Angel program.
GEI believes that chemical emissions from products may pose significant health risks and that these emissions should be minimized. This corresponds to our mission of improving public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. GEI’s sole mission, purpose and reason for being is to educate the public on how to improve indoor environments based on available science and a pre-cautionary approach. As a voluntary certification program, our standards are more rigorous than those set by government agencies and they are just that—voluntary. We work with visionary manufacturers and organizations who share our commitment to creating healthier indoor environments.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss any further concerns you may have regarding GEI or the GREENGUARD Certification Program. I can be reached at 800.427.9681.
Regards,
Mandi Joyner, Communications Manager, GEI.
Mandi Joyner - 2009-11-23 15:45:00 EST -
Chemical toxicity, indoor air quality, and children's health are serious issues. The overt marketing of misleading claims by Greenguard to uninformed audiences is frightening and unfortunately works against their stated intentions to improve human health.
1. Greenguard claims to be a non-profit; however they share a headquarters and personnel with Air Quality Sciences (AQS), a for-profit testing business owned by Dr. Marilyn Black. Greenguard requires manufacturers to conduct all testing with their for-profit laboratory. This is an obvious conflict of interest, with an unstated focus on profit.
2. Greenguard requirements only address chemicals emitted into air. They do not address toxic content. Much of children's exposure is oral and dermal (through skin).
3. Greenguard/AQS does not publish all details of their requirements and testing methods. There is no independent review or oversight of the technical validity of their requirements. Worse, they imply their "standards" for VOC emissions are approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) which is not true. AQS/Greenguard personnel have full and complete control over the proprietary Greenguard requirements, which they invent and change at will.
4. Greenguard/AQS includes requirements for phthalates, a semi-volatile family of compounds that appear to be endocrine disruptors -- these are the focus of much research and concern. Danish and US research indicates phthalates are showing up in dust, and are not emitted by materials the same way volatile compounds are (volatiles emit faster). Yet, Greenguard uses testing intended for volatiles, which has not been shown to be effective when detecting phthalate exposure. An assurance from Greenguard about phthalates is therefore very misleading.
5. The concentration of a contaminant (amount present in a lungful of air) depends on how much clean air is supplied in a space. Greenguard/AQS uses limits for contaminants based on commercial office and school classroom ventilation rates, which usually have much more clean air supplied. Greenguard does not publish the ventilation conditions for certifying children's furniture for homes and bedrooms. Therefore users have no way to know if the products exceed the stated limits in their own homes.
Why would an organization focused solely on improving public health do these things? As an educated parent I am very concerned.
D. Hernandez - 2009-10-01 10:09:00 EDT
