Saturday, 01 February 2003
South Cone Links North, South Through FSC
Gerry Cooklin is an outdoorsman who founded a furniture company in 1986. About six years ago, he was camping in the woods of Southern California when he had an epiphany.
"We want to work with as many people as possible to ensure responsible forest management, and to prove that forest management is environmentally, economically, and socially viable," Cooklin said.
South Cone Trading Co. is a high-end furniture manufacturer with more than 450 employees in Peru, Argentina, and the United States. South Cone’s factory in Peru, Exportimo, S.A., is FSC-certified by the SmartWood program of the Rainforest Alliance, as is South Cone, the corporation in the U.S. Exportimo began shipping FSC-tagged furniture in November of 2002. The company estimates that at least 20% of its total production this year will be certified. By the end of 2004, South Cone plans to raise that percentage to 40%, reaching 75% by the end of 2005.
Jose Garrido Lecca, South Cone’s chief operating officer, believes that certification goes beyond business concerns. “Certification means sharing with our workers the responsibility we all have toward the world’s forests. It means participating in this idea and becoming environmentally conscious and active citizens."
The company no longer uses mahogany because this species is under too much pressure in South America. South Cone’s primary wood is mohena, and sauco from an FSC-certified Bolivian forest. More than 300 retail stores sell South Cone products. Major markets include California, New York, Colorado, and Texas. South Cone also supplies hotels and resorts nationwide, such as the Four Seasons in Bermuda and the Marriott in Scottsdale, AZ.
South Cone has launched a consciousness raising campaign among its retailers across the U.S. about the benefits of FSC certification and the role certification plays in rainforest conservation. South Cone executives have made presentations in more than 30 stores so far.
In December of 2002, South Cone and the World Wildlife Fund launched an alternative tropical woods program in Peru. The idea is to identify alternative wood species in the rainforest to ease the burden on mahogany and increase the value of forests, so as to make certification and sustainable management more feasible. WWF and South Cone have each pledged $160,000 toward this project.
According to Einar A. Elsner of South Cone, “We are committed to being a force of change in the furniture industry and among consumers. Imagine what the impact would be in the forests of the world if furniture manufacturers were to embrace FSC certification. We can make that happen."