Do you know where your chair has been?
Socially responsible furniture as Thai-European innovation
By Jon Fernquest[Introduction|Vocabulary|Article]
[Reading Questions|Answers]
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Today's article provides an example of social entrepreneurship in action.
The French founder of a new furniture company in Thailand has a vision that he is working towards slowly but surely.
His vision is making "virtuous" furniture that is made without injury to nature (also to the human labour in furniture factories, presumably).
Furthermore, the buyer does not have to trust the seller on this.
Words, after all, are cheap. The sales person might just be telling the buyer what he wants to hear so he'll buy the furniture.
The origins of this innovative "virtuous" furniture are documented by continual inspection and monitoring that a buyer can rely on.
A certificate tells the buyer exactly where the wood comes from, so he doesn't have to trust or even ask the sales person.
Western countries are increasingly demanding both environmental and labour certification for products (assurances).
Fair trade, not completely "free" trade, is increasingly the focus.
That "free trade" might turn into a reckless "race to the bottom" that makes western workers as well as Asian workers poorer, destroys the environment, and ends up with no global standards at all, is an increasing concern.
The sort of business you'll learn about today is a promising start in solving these problems.
Reading Questions
Here are some questions to guide your reading (See answers at end):1. What was first priority in founding this furniture company?
2. What are some different reasons for choosing a chair when you are shopping for chairs?
3. What makes a chair virtuous, according to the author? (Use inference)
4. Do consumers have the right to know where the wood in their chair comes from? (Express your opinion)
5. What examples are given of wood that a chair buyer would want or not want his chair to be made of?
6. Where does this furniture company display its designs?
7. How do the company's customers know that the furniture they buy is virtuous?
8. Are the company's ecofriendly chairs a lot more expensive than similar non-ecofriendly chairs?
9. What other products are currently traceable? Why do consumers want to trace these products?
10. What experience initially motivated Largouet to start the company?
11. What environmental activist organisations did Largouet work for in the past?
12. What do you think the environmental costs are of things you typically buy or that are typically found around the place where you live or work? (Brainstorm, Express your opinion)
13. Do people typically care very much about the environmental costs of the things they buy, according to the author?
14. What kinds of materials are used in the furniture that the company produces?
15. Where does the pine they use in their furniture come from?
16. Why is the use of bamboo and water hyacinth a good idea in making furniture?
17. Isn't teak a rare and endangered species? Why is it being used in this furniture?
18. How can the manufacture of furniture that is not completely aware of the ecological impact of its ingredients pose a health threat to consumers?
19. Why are the cheapest materials not always the best materials? (Use inference)
20. What kinds of activities must an environmental entrepreneur do, in addition to normal business activities?
21. Where do the non-toxic glues used in the furniture come from?
22. Is this kind of environmentally friendly product the first of its kind in the world? In Asia? In Southeast Asia?
23. How much more expensive are the products that the company produces? Is it worth it? (Express your opinion)
24. What markets is the company targeting?
25. Are Green Peace seminars enough to create to cause social change, according to the author?
Bangkok Post Article June 10, 2007
Furniture with a Conscience
Morgan Largouet founded his furniture company with the idea of creating a business that was environmentally friendly and 'ethical at every step of the way' ERIKA FRYLargouet: "We wanted to raise people's ecological awareness and show them that in making a choice about furniture, they can make a difference."
You'll need to be sitting down for this.
Now, your chair - maybe you've chosen it for comfort, or for aesthetics, or maybe for mere utility and the notion that a chair, is a chair.
But is your chair virtuous? And do you know just where its wood has been?
This may not seem a matter of great import, but Morgan Largouet, a French eco-friendly furniture entrepreneur based in Bangkok, believes you - as a consumer and global citizen - have the right, and the responsibility to know.
At a time when the world's forests are quickly disappearing, the "ecologically-minded" Largouet is hoping to inspire the kind of environmentally-conscious consumer that cares whether their chairs are crafted from the illegally logged forests of Cambodia or from managed sustainable plantations in Thailand.
For this reason, all the pieces in Largouet's Teck Ethik furniture collection and on display at Naturable - his recently opened showroom on Soi Saladaeng - come with a certificate spelling out the environmental soundness and virtuous origins of the product.
Tagged with such assurances, Teck Ethik's consumers can rest (or sit) easy that they have not, in however small and passive a way, played some part in the deforestation of Burma, the warming of the Earth, the melting of the ice caps, the sinking of Tuvalu, or any of the other increasingly apparent effects of global warming.
If that does not bring peace enough, then the chair is also comfortable and comparably priced.
Like diamonds from Africa, or meat in Europe, Largouet hopes that furniture - from its forest beginnings to its showroom finish - will soon be a commodity that is completely traceable, and that customers will care to trace it.
Teck Ethik, which Largouet started with 2 other expats in 2005, was inspired by a trip he took to Burma in 2003. "It was sad to see the consequences of deforestation there. It is really a disaster for all."
Burma's barrenness so much impressed him that he began studying the issue of deforestation and playing with the ideas of environmental entrepreneurship when he returned home.
Largouet, a former Mass Communications teacher who did stints in France and Thailand with Greenpeace, readily admits that in creating Teck Ethik he was much less focussed on the furniture than he was on the idea to create a business that was environmentally-friendly and "ethical at every step of the way."
While he was interested in supplying ethical and environmentally-responsible furniture, he also hoped to challenge the blase notions that people hold towards the environmental costs of things they consume.
"We wanted to raise people's ecological awareness and show them that in making a choice about furniture, they can make a difference," he says.
He was also particularly interested in launching the venture in Thailand, where such efforts are rare and ecological consciouness - both on the part of producers and consumers - generally lags behind.
Teck Ethik's furniture collection, which includes traditional home and patio lines, as well as parquet flooring and a modish bamboo line with pieces like the 'Neo indoor lounge chair' and bar stool, is designed and produced at a handful of factories around Bangkok and northern Thailand.
Much of it is made from the teakwood produced by over 40 teak plantations around Thailand, though the company also offers pieces crafted from bamboo, water hyacinth, mango wood, and the pinewood that is recycled from old cargo crates obtained at Bangkok's port.
The company's choices in building materials reflect the studied environmental approach they use in all of their business decision-making. For example, bamboo grows and regenerates quickly, while water hyacinth is an invasive water-borne plant that clogs waterways, and in reducing its level of oxygen, threatens biodiversity.
Though teak is one of the wood-types most exploited in deforestation, when grown on plantations the species is managed and planned for felling every 20 or 30 years.
In all cases Teck Ethik sells its furniture with documentation of its origin stating that the wood was harvested from sustainable forest.
In addition to wanting a completely ethical product, Teck Ethik wanted one that was completely natural and healthy for its consumers.
While that may not seem so much to ask of a product like stationary furniture, Largouet explains that, unbeknownst to many consumers, "scientists are discovering furniture products are toxic." The glues and finishing products that have been used in the manufacturing process begin to evaporate after 5 years, leaving toxins in the air to the health risk of the owners, he says.
Accordingly, Teck Ethik guarantees all its glues and finishing products are water-based and natural.
Raise consumer awareness
Largouet explains that finding factories, and the operators who were willing to "take a risk and play with us" was one of the greatest challenges involved in Teck Ethik's start up.
Because of Teck Ethik's commitment to environmental principles, "playing" with the company required factories play with their production process and incur the costs and disruption that came with adopting the new production materials and techniques needed to ensure Teck Ethik's environmentally friendly product.
"Factories here are accustomed to using the cheapest materials for production," he says. Convincing manufacturers to break from Thailand's prevailing "cheaper is better mentality" for the sake of environment was oftentimes a tough sell.
Largouet says he and his two expat colleagues spent almost all of 2006 in the factories, educating staffs on the Teck Ethik philosophy and training on new production methods.
"It took a year and half, but they appreciate how we work now," he says, adding that the manufacturers have warmed to Teck Ethik's environmental values and the changes those values have wrought in the factories.
Operators have been especially pleased with the improvement in worker morale that has come with Teck Ethik's prescribed labour conditions, and particularly with the switch to non-toxic glues.
Largouet explains that in the past, workers would apply the toxic glues and finishes by hand, a task which was time consuming and incredibly hazardous to their health. These days, workers use non-toxic glues and finishes imported from Germany that he boasts are "safely drinkable" (though he does not advise drinking them).
He adds that manufacturers also appreciate the European entrepreneurs' commitment to communicating in Thai.
While Largouet and his partners are spending much less time in the factories now, they still make several monthly surprise visits to check on process and confirm that origin documents have been obtained. The team also visits the plantations regularly, and have engaged various Thai ministries, NGOs, university design students, and international organisations in their work.
While it took a year of trust-building, Largouet says his company is in close contact with the government's environmental authorities, and in its pioneering eco-friendliness is considered a model project by the Department of Export Promotion.
While eco-design is trendy (and usually the province of pricey designers using recycled things) in the West and Largouet knows of some similar efforts in Japan, Teck Ethik is a novel - Largouet thinks maybe even first-of-kind - enterprise in Southeast Asia.
Largouet hopes to distinguish his brand from much of what is being done in the West in keeping Teck Ethik products responsiblely-priced and targetted for the general population.
Having formed Teck Ethik to develop a new kind of environmentally-conscious consumer, he says high prices would limit the reach of his efforts.
"We want to raise awareness for consumers. If you ask someone where the wood comes from, usually people don't know. Ecology comes with education."
Sometimes reaching people with this message means forgoing profits by making a competitive offer.
"Sometimes our product is about 15-20% more expensive to produce because of ecological adjustments. In those cases, we sell it at the same prices and eat the difference."
While Teck Ethik looks to stir the ecological consciousnesses of the local public, the company also has a number of foreign clients and does full-furnishing jobs for new, green-leaning hotel and housing developments in Thailand.
Despite his history working for environmental non-profits, Largouet believes it is green-leaning businesses that can bring the swiftest and most meaningful changes to the environment and public thinking.
"These days people believe advertisements, PR. The world is about consumerism. A Greenpeace seminar is simply not as efficient as a company exercising corporate social responsibility."
He adds that the moment's sweeping CSR movement is especially promising for the environment and the prospects of business driving its improvement.
In addition, to the recent opening of its Naturable store, the company has begun experimenting with the environmentally responsible production of home decor, paintings and spa products.
Bio DATA
Morgan Largouet was born on 15 May 1976 in Rochefort, France. He has a Master's degree in Communications.
Morgan has lived in Thailand for five years, two of which he spent teaching Mass Communications at a Rachabhat Chandrakasem University. He has a Thai wife, Supaporn.
Vocabulary (in discussion above)
social entrepreneurship - a business person who uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change (See Wikipedia)
has a vision - how you imagine or hope the future will be like
presumably - likely to be true, but not certain
free trade - trade with no restrictions
fair trade - a social movement promoting standards for international labour, environmentalism, and social policy, the movement focuses on exports from developing countries to developed countries (See Wikipedia)
race to the bottom - when competition between countries leads to the progressive dismantling of regulatory standards which increases poverty at home and abroad (See Wikipedia)
with a conscience - with ethics
ethics, ethical - the moral principles about right and wrong that a person follows
the conscience - the part of the mind that tells you whether what you're doing is right or wrong
environmentally friendly - does not hurt the environment (like a "friend" of the environment)
at every step of the way - in every step of making furniture from the chopping the tree down to selling the furniture
ecology - the system and balance in nature between animals, humans, and plants (implies respect for nature)
ecological - as a human thinking about how our behaviour impacts nature
awareness - noticing, knowing about
raise people's awareness of x - help people know more about x
raise people's ecological awareness - help people know more about ecology
they can make a difference - (idiom) can change the world and make it better (as opposed to the cynical opinion that everyone is looking for profit and gain)
cynical - believe that people always act selfishly
utility - usefulness [Antonym: aesthetics]
aesthetics - appreciation of the beauty (and sensual aspects) of something [Antonym: utility]
virtuous - good, behaving in a moral way
eco-friendly - friendly with ecology ideas (respect them, treat them as important)
entrepreneur - a person who starts businesses with new and risky business ideas
environmental entrepreneurship - starting small innovative businesses that benefit the environment (placing environmental goals before profit)
a global citizen - a person who acts like they are a citizen of every country (wanting good things to happen to all countries, not just their own country)
ecologically-minded - thinking about ecology
environmentally-conscious - think about and realise the importance of the environment
-conscious - think about often, notice realise something the importance of something
sustainable - can continue for a long time (when the use of natural resources is kept at a level that allows for replacement)
managed sustainable plantations -
Teck Ethik - name of their company, a combination of "technology" and "ethics"
certificate - official document that shows that certain facts are true (for example, a school certificate proves you graduated from school, a cleanliness certficate proves that your workplace is clean, a certificate of origin proves that your product comes from a certain place)
assurances - certificates that document that a product meets certain standards (such as using wood that legally and ethically logged, using labour that is treated fairly, using raw materials that are not toxic or dangerous)
deforestation - disappearing of forest (probably from logging)
global warming - the growing concern that global climate is changing with negative effects human life and nature
diamonds from Africa - (issue) conflict diamonds, diamonds that are sold by the governments of poor countries to fund war, people now refuse to buy such diamonds on moral grounds
meat in Europe - (issue) people in Europe refuse to buy the meat of animals that have been mistreated and abused
RFID tag - a very small tag that sends a radio signal with identifying information
traceable - can find origin of (can follow the path of where it has been to find out where it came from)
a commodity that is completely traceable - an item in a store (e.g. food) that has an RFID tag in it that shows where the item has been (do if there is a problem, for example contamination or poison in the food, the government can determine how it got there)
expats - people living outside their country in another country (like Farang in Thailand)
Greenpeace - a worldwide organisation that engages in environmental and ecological activism
activism - work that tries to change public opinion to bring about political and social change
ethical and environmentally-responsible furniture -
blase - indifferent (not worried, excited, or concerned about the things they should be concerned about)
notions - ideas, beliefs
blase notions - indifferent beliefs (about something they shouldn't be indifferent about)
a product line - group of related products produced by a company
traditional home and patio lines - product lines of chairs for: 1. inside the house, and 2. outside the house on the patio (weather resistant)
parquet flooring - an expensive pattern of hardwood floor
modish - fashionable, following current trends
teakwood - an expensive hardwood famous in northern Thailand and Burma (many old houses are made of this wood, resistant to termites)
recycled from old cargo crates -
crates - rough wooden boxes
cargo crates - rough wooden boxes for shipping things by boat or truck
recycled - used again (for a second or third time...)
a studied approach - planning and studying before acting (not spontaneous)
studied environmental approach - studying the product's environmental impact and eco-friendliness before producing the product
diversity - a wide variety
biodiversity - a wide variety of different plants and animals
threatens biodiversity - fewer kinds plants and animals (perhaps because cutting trees down kills them off)
exploited - putting gain and profit before doing what is right
felling - cutting trees down
documentation - official papers (usually from the government)
documentation of its origin - official papers that show where something is from
sustainable forest - a forest that exists over a very long time (instead of a short time when all the trees are cut down without replanting them)
stationary - not moving, staying in one place
stationary furniture - furniture that is not moved around (for example, a couch)
x was unbeknownst to y - person y did not know about x
toxic - poisonous
play, play with us, playing with the company, play with their production process - experiment
disruption - stop, prevent normal operation
accustomed to x - have a lot of experience with x, so dealing with x is normal and easy
prevailing - normal, most common and accepted
mentality - way of thinking
a tough sell - difficult to get people interested in the idea
warmed to x - get used to and accept
values - moral values, the moral principles and beliefs that a group of people think are important
morale - the happiness and motivatedness of workers (happy and motivated workers can be more productive workers)
* high morale
* low morale
improvement in worker morale - workers became more motivated
non-toxic glues - glues that are not poisonous
a finish - the appearance and texture of the surface (a varnish, lacquer, or paint applied to the surface of wook to make it more beautiful)
a committment - a promise, a responsibility
a commitment to do x - a promise to do x, accepting x as a responsibility
origin documents - official papers to show where goods come from
plantations - large farms growing plants (for example, a rubber or coffee plantation, but not a rice or corn plantation)
pioneering - being the first person to do something
model project - a project that sets an example for other people in the future
Department of Export Promotion - the Thai government department in charge of finding markets for Thai products overseas, part of the Commerce department
recycled - recycled paper, recycled plastic, reusing, processing already used paper so that it can be used again as paper
first-of-kind - the first kind of product like this (begins an innovative trend, finds value where people did not previously know that value existed)
responsibly-priced - priced to achieve social goal of maximum number of customers (because ecological benefits of product are more important than company profits)
targetted for the general population - not targeted for rich people only with lots of money to spend (premium market)
forgoing - deciding to not have something that you would like, do without
forgoing profits - deciding to not make profits the most important thing (you would make more profits if profits were your only goal)
green-leaning businesses - environmentally- or ecologically-friendly businesses
green - ecological, environmental (green like trees and plants are green)
x-leaning - favoring x, tending to do x, leaning in the x direction
PR - public relations, forming public opinion about a company and its products, putting spin on events and situations
spin - making people feel a certain way about events (by describing them in certain way)
consumerism - belief that customer desires always come first (for example, Walmart sells cheap goods to make customers happy but only gives its employees temporary jobs without health insurance)
a seminar - a meeting or class where a small group of people discuss a problem or topic
Greenpeace seminar - a small class given by Greenpeace
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), CSR movement - the idea that companies should consider have an the interests of customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and ecological considerations in all aspects of their operations (See Wikipedia)
the moment's sweeping CSR movement - currently many people are joining the CSR movement
home decor - the style of furnishing in a home, interior decoration
Bio DATA - biographical data, a short story of his life
Answer Key:
1. What was first priority in founding this furniture company?
a. Raising people's ecological awareness.
b. Showing people that even their choice of furniture can have an effect on the world (i.e. individual people are more important than they think).
2. What are some different reasons for choosing a chair when you are shopping for chairs?
a. For comfort.
b. For aesthetics (beauty)
c. For utility (usefullness)
d. No special reason (a chair is just a chair, any chair would do)
3. What makes a chair virtuous, according to the author? (Use inference)
Where the wood that it is made of has been (or comes from) makes it either virtuous or not virtuous.
For example, if the chair came from logs that were cut down illegally or cut down by slave labour, then the chair is not virtuous.
4. Do consumers have the right to know where the wood in their chair comes from? (Express your opinion)
5. What examples are given of wood that a chair buyer would want or not want his chair to be made of?
A chair buyer may not wish to have his or her hcair made of:
a. Not want: Wood that was illegally logged in the forests of Cambodia.
b. Want: Wood from managed and enironmentally sustainable planatations in Thailand.
6. Where does this furniture company display its designs?
Tech Ethik displays its furniture designs at its showroom named "Naturable" on Soi Saladaeng in Bangkok.
7. How do the company's customers know that the furniture they buy is virtuous?
The furniture comes with a certificate (assurance) that documents the furniture's:
a. Environmental soundness.
b. Virtuous origins of the wood used in the chair.
8. Are the company's ecofriendly chairs a lot more expensive than similar non-ecofriendly chairs?
No, their chairs are "comparably priced."
9. What other products are currently traceable? Why do consumers want to trace these products?
a. Diamonds in Africa: Diamonds are typically sold by the governments of poor African countries to finance war which devastates the country and makes it even poorer.
b. Meat in Europe: Raising animals in crowded conditions is not only inhumane, it is also associated with disease outbreaks like Mad Cow's Disease.
10. What experience initially motivated Largouet to start the company?
A trip to Burma and seeing largescale deforestation prompted him to start studying deforetation and environmental entrepreneurship.
11. What environmental activist organisations did Largouet work for in the past?
He worked for Greenpeace in France and Thailand.
12. What do you think the environmental costs are of things you typically buy or that are typically found around the place where you live or work? (Brainstorm, Express your opinion)
13. Do people typically care very much about the environmental costs of the things they buy, according to the author?
No, people generally have "blase notions" about the enironmental costs of the things they consumer.
14. What kinds of materials are used in the furniture that the company produces?
a. Bamboo.
b. Teakwood.
c. Water hyacinth.
d. Mango wood.
e. Pinewood.
15. Where does the pine they use in their furniture come from?
It is made from old recycled cargo crates from Bangkok's port.
16. Why is the use of bamboo and water hyacinth a good idea in making furniture?
a. Bamboo regrows quickly.
b. Water hyacinth clogs waterways and threatens biodiversity, so using it gets rid of a ecological threat.
17. Isn't teak a rare and endangered species? Why is it being used in this furniture?
Yes, has been "exploited in deforestation" and for that reason is rare and endangered, but nowadays it is grown on special plantations that create a "sustainable forest" that is harvested every 20 to 30 years.
18. How can the manufacture of furniture that is not completely aware of the ecological impact of its ingredients pose a health threat to consumers?
The glue used by some furniture manufacturers becomes toxic after several years leaving toxins in the air that are dangerous to breathe.
19. Why are the cheapest materials not always the best materials? (Use inference)
The cheapest materials may not be the most environmentally sound and the consumer may not find this out for years after purchase, toxic glue fumes being a good example of this.
20. What kinds of activities must an environmental entrepreneur do, in addition to normal business activities?
a. Education: Educating manufacturers on the market potential of environmentally friendly products.
b. Checking manufacturers and plantations: To make sure they have obtained the correct documentation for the materials used and also to make sure they have followed standards.
21. Where do the non-toxic glues used in the furniture come from?
Germany.
22. Is this kind of environmentally friendly product the first of its kind in the world? In Asia? In Southeast Asia?
In the West it is currently "trendy" and therefore common. In Asia there are similar companies in Japan. In Southeast Asia, this company is likely the first of its kind.
23. How much more expensive are the products that the company produces? Is it worth it? (Express your opinion)
The products are about 15-20% more expensive because of the "ecological adjustments" that have to be made.
24. What markets is the company targeting?
a. Local public.
b. Foreign clients
c. Full-furnishing jobs for "new, green-leaning hotel and housing developments in Thailand."
25. Are Green Peace seminars enough to create to cause social change, according to the author?
No, a company exercisign Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is more efficient than traditional Greenpeace seminars.
Company advertisements can even be a form of education.
("'These days people believe advertisements, PR. The world is about consumerism. A Greenpeace seminar is simply not as efficient as a company exercising corporate social responsibility.' He adds that the moment's sweeping CSR movement is especially promising for the environment and the prospects of business driving its improvement.")
