Environment

Environmental Commitment

"We want to go beyond simply complying with environmental legislation and regulations; we want to become leading supporters in our community and industry." - Alex Bernhardt, Sr., Chairman

As a family-owned and operated company, we care a great deal about the health and welfare of our employees, our customers, our suppliers, our community and our planet. We have a long-standing corporate tradition of providing a safe and healthful work place, protecting the environment, and conserving energy and natural resources.

This tradition has served the environment and our business well over the years and now provides the foundation for a comprehensive set of Environmental Policy Objectives. These objectives include:

Energy Use
Water Use
Emissions and Air Quality
Packaging
Waste Reduction
Renewable and Sustainable Materials
Product Stewardship
Supply Chain Management
Environmental Programs/Affiliations
Employee Awareness and Involvement

As a sign of our commitment, we have launched a number of company-wide initiatives that focus on meeting these objectives. Corporately, we have received EFEC (Enhancing Furniture's Environmental Culture) certification for five of our U.S. facilities, including our Corporate Office, and our divisions are developing programs with environmental groups such as SFI, FSC, and GREENGUARD, or in support of LEED, as appropriate. In addition, we are communicating and partnering with our suppliers, governmental agencies, our trade associations and our community to assist us in achieving results consistent with environmental leadership.

We believe that protecting our environment is the right thing to do. That is why we pledge to promote sound and sustainable business practices for the benefit of all those who depend upon us now and for those who will depend upon us in years to come

Environmental Recovery

End of Product Life for Original Purchaser

Bernhardt Hospitality products are designed and engineered to last for many years. Frequently, whether designed under the Design for the Environment program or a legacy product, the life span of the product is longer than customers require, resulting in the issue of disposal.

While disposal in a landfill can occur, Bernhardt Hospitality offers alternatives to discarding products. Since Bernhardt Hospitality products are distributed worldwide, returning products to the original production location would consume resources and generate greenhouse gasses. Consequently, two alternatives are available to the consumer: repurpose and recycle.

Repurpose

Donating furniture to social agencies assisting the economically disadvantaged is an opportunity for disposal of products while making an appreciable difference in the quality of life for the recipient. Examples include the homeless transitioning to housing, families who have lost their possessions through fire or disasters, refugees from war-torn countries re-settling in the United States, and the elderly living on fixed incomes. Organizations such as Habitat and various shelter homes frequently need furniture.

Many agencies accept donations; some will pick up the donated item. The organizations below are just a few of the groups that assist in giving products a second life and keeping them from the landfill.

Contact the National Furniture Bank Association for a local affiliate. The National Furniture Bank Association is a network of facilities throughout the United States that collect and distribute used furniture and other items to people in need.
Check out the Reuse Development Organization (ReDO), a nonprofit organization that promotes reuse of surplus and discarded items, including furniture and household goods. ReDO maintains a list of organizations by state that accept furniture donations.
Charities that typically provide pickup service for donated furniture and household items (as well as drop-off points) include Military Order of the Purple Heart, Salvation Army, and Big Brothers; Big Sisters which often have trucks scheduled to pick up in different locations. Call the nearby Goodwill Industries facility to see if a furniture donation pickup service is provided.
Contact local churches and inquire if they have furniture donation programs for needy individuals and families, or know of people who can use furniture and household items.
Consider donating furniture to a homeless shelter, a battered women's shelter, or to a refugee resettlement program. Telephone numbers for these organizations may be found in the local phone book (women's shelters will have a phone number but no address for security reasons), or on web sites. Local United Way organizations may have information regarding area groups.
Local theater groups may use donated furniture for sets and welcome donated props to help defray costs.
Offer items on Internet-based grassroots organizations such as Freecycle or FreeShare that offer individuals a forum for donating (and receiving) free items, including furniture and household goods. Together, more than 4,300 individual Freecycle or FreeShare communities exist in the United States and around the world. Registration is free.

Recycle

The recycling of used products requires more time and effort than repurposing, but sometimes is the most efficient way to avoid landfill disposal. While Bernhardt Hospitality products are designed through the Design for the Environment program to be easily disassembled, some products must still be deconstructed in order to separate the materials into liked components. Since this can be a physically challenging process, appropriate safety precautions should be taken.

Typically, up to seven types of components may exist in Bernhardt Hospitality products: wood, composite wood products, metal/aluminum, plastics, fabric/textiles, polyurethane foam, and electrical. Most municipalities have a recycling program that will accommodate these materials. Some materials, such as the metal and aluminum, may even be a saleable commodity in some areas.

If the local municipality does not offer recycling services, the following links can provide information on recycling in certain regions and states.