How to increase the transparency of furniture production?
Go backFurniture brands in Europe are searching for solutions to enhance their supply chain and production transparency. It is a complex challenge for the furniture industry, as many stakeholders, such as raw materials, components, and OEM suppliers, are part of crafting a sofa, a chair, a daybed, etc.
By providing information or certifications to end customers about their products, you can increase transparency throughout the furniture supply chain, as it will hold each supplier, manufacturer, and distributor up to defined standards. It includes opening up about the materials used, the manufacturing process, and the environmental and social impacts of the product. It is best to have an independent third-party organization audit these certifications. OEKO-TEX®, a trusted and well-established third-party auditor, has some certification solutions for increasing transparency in the furniture industry, which some LTP Furniture now has.
LTP Furniture is now certified with STeP by OEKO-TEX® to increase transparency throughout the furniture supply chain, but what is STeP by OEKO-TEX®?
- It is a certification for the entire textile & leather production chain.
- It is for furniture produced at OEKO-TEX® STeP certified production facilities.
- It is for products produced under safe & socially responsible working conditions.
- It is for tested materials to make sure there are no harmful substances.
How does OEKO-TEX evaluate companies that want the STeP certificate?
OEKO-TEX is an independent party with a transparent scoring system, which evaluates LTP and our sub-suppliers on the following parameters: Chemicals management, environmental performance, environmental management, social responsibility, quality management, health protection, and safety at work.
LTP went straight into the best level, level 3:
- Level 1 = Compliance with the entry-level specifications.
- Level 2 = Good implementation with further optimization potential.
- Level 3 = Ideal implementation in the sense of best practice examples.
What are the future possibilities for transparency of OEM furniture?
LTP Furniture can get your product a MADE IN GREEN label by OEKO-TEX. If you scan the label on your new piece of furniture, you can see information about the manufacturing process where the furniture production facility is. You will also know the manufacturing follows safe & socially responsible working conditions and are in environmentally friendly facilities. You can choose between three different degrees of informational levels to show your end customers:
- The country of origin and the performed operations.
- The name and address of the manufacturer and the performed processes.
- All possible information about the supplier, including a link to their website.
The MADE IN GREEN label consists of two different things, The STeP certification, and the STANDARD 100 certification. The STeP certification is location-based, whereas the STANDARD 100 is product-specific. OEKO-TEX is the third-party auditor for both certifications.
The MADE IN GREEN label will increase your production transparency significantly toward your end customers and end users, as it ensures to hold each supplier and manufacturer up to a defined set of standards, and you can choose to share the degree of informational level that you want to.
Do you want to increase transparency in your furniture production and supply chain? Contact us.
About LTP Group A/S
LTP Group A/S is a privately Danish-owned company consisting of two divisions: LTP Garment and LTP Furniture. From 12 privately owned factories in Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Vietnam, Romania, and Mexico, we produce clothing and furniture for more than 100 recognized brands worldwide. LTP's head office is in Copenhagen, Denmark. LTP Group A/S was established in 1991 and now employs 2,500+ dedicated employees and has a turnover of 100+ million EUR with solid financial results.