FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.—For the third year in a row, Broward County has selected Valley Forge Fabrics to receive one of the County’s 2010 Emerald Awards in the Recycling category for environmental excellence. The Emerald Award is given annually by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and Environmental Protection Department to honor businesses for exceptional commitment to protecting the environment.
Valley Forge Fabrics, a leader in sustainable textiles and decorative fabrics for hospitality, launched its FRESH initiative more than five years ago. FRESH is an acronym for Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards for Hospitality. The company’s Tencel+Plus Lyocell products are the only certified textiles from Eucalyptus verified by Lenzing Fibers for both commercial performance requirements and fiber origin. Every fabric in the Tencel+Plus Upholstery collection will have a unique certification number from Lenzing Fibers to verify the chain of custody within the supply chain.
Additional factors that contributed to Valley Forge’s Emerald Award win:
Valley Forge’s reclamation program has taken effect as the company has begun to redistribute bedding products from hotels to global organizations such as The American Red Cross and local organizations such as The Broward Outreach Center in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Fabric May Contribute to LEED Points
Valley Forge is the first and only textile company to offer a textile that may garner LEED points within USGBC’s LEED Rating System. Valley Forge’s LIVING FRESH with Tencel+Plus Lyocell products may help earn LEED points in three areas as this collection is made from a rapidly renewable resource (Eucalyptus), will be picked up at the end of their life through Valley Forge’s established reclamation program and the Eucalyptus is harvested from FSC managed forests.
More than 75 percent of the company’s running line items are now FRESH or LIVING FRESH Tencel+Plus Lyocell Eucalyptus.
As of April 1, 2011, Valley Forge has diverted 3,052,895 plastic bottles from landfills.
The Broward County Board of County Commissioners presented trophies to the winners at a special ceremony Tuesday, April 12 in the Governmental Center in Fort Lauderdale. The Emerald Award program recognizes businesses for their voluntary efforts in four areas: waste reduction, recycling, improved operating practices and other “green” strategies that reduce pollution and waste.
Go to Valley Forge Fabrics.
