In Padma's Plantation's words- what is sustainability and being "green"?

Sustainability is the idea of using materials found in nature in a way that is less or least harmful to the environment. It's a balance of limiting any possible damages through the use of ecologically safe practices to secure the future of the environment around us while manufacturing a product. Being "green" refers to those like us who focus their efforts on producing such a product- with this global awareness at the forefront of their production.

When did Padma's Plantation first become aware of the concept of sustainability?

While visiting Indonesia during a design trip, we were taught and shown exactly how fast bamboo and rattan grows and replenishes itself. In fact, maintaining these materials, by cutting them down, promotes fantastic re-growth. We learned that the products we chose to work with for their beauty also served a much more significant purpose- the preservation of our ecosystems. With that knowledge, we realized the importance of continuing to work these resources, such as bamboo and abaca, to create our furniture and accessories.

Why is Padma's Plantation interested in sustainability?

Plain and simply put, it is healthier for our environment. As the world population continues to grow and industry builds, we are being depleted of our natural resources, which greatly impacts ecological support systems. Every person's contribution to sustaining the environment will benefit the world in the long run. We want these support systems to be around for future generations to use- it is our responsibility to make sure this will happen. Striving to always find better and eco-friendly ways of making our furniture and accessories, aligning ourselves with the concept of sustainability was the natural choice.

What does Padma's Plantation do to promote sustainability in the design of its products?

First and foremost, we work with manufacturers who share the same compassion for global awareness that we do. We focus on using sustainable materials such as bamboo, abaca, rattan and plantation grown and government certified hardwoods in production. Through regular visits to our manufacturers, constant contact, and through the use of 3rd party quality inspectors, we are able to review practices and methods in the development of our product. We also make strong efforts to package our items in a way that maximizes space usage on containers ultimately reducing the amount of transporting that needs to take place. We promise to not only be exceptional in our design, but responsible in our design.

How is Padma's Plantation getting the word out about the importance of being "green" in today's world?

Padma's Plantation is excited and proud to announce that we are a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Council. The SFC stands for and strives for continuous improvement in corporate and industry practices that progressively move towards sustainability. By affiliating ourselves with the SFC, in this public forum, we are able to feature our affiliation in marketing and increase public awareness of global conservation as well as what the SFC is and how we all can help to make this world a healthier place. We are pleased to offer the following position on sustainability- "Padma's Plantation is passionately committed to designing furniture that is not only inspired by nature's beauty, but more importantly, respects it. We continually strive to create unique products using sustainable materials, such as rattan and bamboo, along with ecologically safe practices, with the hopes of keeping this world safe and as beautiful as the furniture we design."