Hardwood Floors August/September 2018

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS DESIGNER INSIGHTS

By Emily Morrow Finkell

All photos courtesy of Emily Morrow Finkell.

Sustainability & Millennials: THE FUTURE OF THE HARDWOOD FLOORING INDUSTRY IS IN THEIR HANDS

Look around where you are si ing or standing right now. See if you can spot a cloth shopping bag, a collection of used aluminum cans, or a reusable water bo le. Now, look around a li le harder, and you’re likely to see even more evidence of sustainability (or what most people think sustainability involves). Not to suggest that today’s newest consumers don’t know or understand sustainability; in fact, I’m suggesting the opposite. e de nition of sustainability has expanded and evolved since the early days of the cradle-to-cradle discussions in the design world as well as the oor covering industry. Today, it includes ideas such as carbon footprint, “farm- to-table,” and even checking hidden labels to see the

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