Pacific Green

Last updated

Pacific Green
Industry Furniture
Founded1973  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
ProductsFurniture and accessories,
Architectural materials
Website pacificgreen.net
palmwood.net

Pacific Green designs and manufactures furniture and architectural products. It is most recognised for its development of Palmwood, a sustainable substitute for tropical hardwood. Pacific Green products are distributed internationally.

Contents

Post & Rail Furniture

Post & Rail Furniture was started by Bruce Dowse and Peter Ryan in 1973 in Sydney, Australia. They created an iconic style of Australian furniture, including the classic INVESTMENT chair. From its earliest days, the company used plantation wood in its pieces.

International expansion

As it expanded internationally in the late 1980s, the company rebranded as Pacific Green. Its purpose was to create a viable substitute for tropical hardwoods by recycling plantation coconut palms. Although palms are extremely hard and durable, their unique properties made them difficult to work using conventional techniques. Starting in Papua New Guinea, and later in the Fiji, the team established the world’s first factory dedicated to the research and development of coconut palms. [1]

In 1996, Pacific Green opened its first US warehouse and showroom in Los Angeles, followed by retail outlets in Eastern Europe. In 2007, the company established an assembly plant in southern China and flagship retail stores in Asia.

Development of hardwood substitutes

Palmwood was the name Pacific Green gave to the finished ‘hardwood’ material it developed. Process breakthroughs had created a durable consumer-oriented product that was suitable in a variety of climates and resilient to wood-boring insects. Palmwood is an ecologically sustainable timber alternative. [2]

Palmwood was chosen as the sustainable exterior wood for Masdar, the world's first 'eco-city' in Abu Dhabi, including gates, screens and doors. [3]

Indigenous design

The designs of the furniture - by Bruce Dowse and his Australian design team - are inspired by the artifacts and tools of traditional societies, using natural materials sourced from around the World. Each piece is handcrafted by artisans using traditional techniques and is designed to give a sense of its global ethnic origins.

Former environmental spokesperson Pierce Brosnan on a Pacific Green sofa Pierce Brosnan sitting in Pacific Green sofa.jpg
Former environmental spokesperson Pierce Brosnan on a Pacific Green sofa

Socially responsible manufacturing

Pacific Green pioneered the creation of a socially responsible industry for the Pacific region. [4] By recycling unproductive coconut palms, old plantation land was returned to the local villages to replant with young fruit-bearing palms and other cash crops. The factory was built in consultation with the surrounding villages, and the land used was leased from the villagers to respect local ownership. Pacific Green Industries (Fiji) Limited is listed on the South Pacific Stock Exchange and its majority owners are the Fijian people.

Manufacturing processes use no toxins or chemicals and by-products are reused. In 2001, Pacific Green addressed the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the social responsibility of manufacturing companies. Pacific Green also advised the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on its study on Coconut Palm Stems. [5] From the mid-1990s to early-2000s, actor Pierce Brosnan was the company's Environmental Spokesperson to coincide with the company's expansion into North America.

As a result, Pacific Green was invited to participate at the World Expo 2010 within the Pacific Pavilion. [6]

Pacific Green unveiled the Indigenous Masterpieces concept at its debut in Milan's Salone del Mobile in 2011. It was the only Australian company to participate at the prestigious show 2011-2017. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodworking</span> Process of making objects from wood

Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahogany</span> Timber of tropical hardwood species in the genus Swietenia

Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus Swietenia, indigenous to the Americas and part of the pantropical chinaberry family, Meliaceae. Mahogany is used commercially for a wide variety of goods, due to its coloring and durable nature. It is naturally found within the Americas, but has also been imported to plantations across Asia and Oceania. The mahogany trade may have begun as early as the 16th century and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries. In certain countries, mahogany is considered an invasive species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut</span> Species of plant in the palm family

The coconut tree is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. The name comes from the old Portuguese word coco, meaning "head" or "skull", after the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Fiji</span> National economy

The economy of Fiji is one of the most developed among the Pacific islands. Nevertheless, Fiji is a developing country endowed with forest, mineral and fish resources. The country has a large agriculture sector heavily based on subsistence agriculture. Sugar exports and the tourism industry are the main sources of foreign exchange. There are also light manufacturing and mining sectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumber</span> Wood that has been processed into beams and planks

Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes, including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing. Lumber has many uses beyond home building. Lumber is sometimes referred to as timber in England, Australia and New Zealand, while in most parts of the world the term timber refers specifically to unprocessed wood fiber, such as cut logs or standing trees that have yet to be cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pallet</span> Flat structure to transport goods

A pallet is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load, which allows handling and storage efficiencies. Goods in shipping containers are often placed on a pallet secured with strapping, stretch wrap or shrink wrap and shipped. Since its invention in the twentieth century, its use has dramatically supplanted older forms of crating like the wooden box and the wooden barrel, as it works well with modern packaging like corrugated boxes and intermodal containers commonly used for bulk shipping. In addition, pallet collars can be used to support and protect items shipped and stored on pallets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IOI Group</span> Malaysian conglomerate

IOI Corporation Berhad commonly referred to as IOI, was incorporated on 31 October 1969 as Industrial Oxygen Incorporated Sdn Bhd. IOI is one of Malaysia's biggest conglomerates. It ventured into property development in 1984, followed by oil palm plantations and refineries in 1985. IOI was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) and trading as MYX: 1961—now known as Bursa Malaysia—in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut timber</span>

Coconut timber is a hardwood-substitute from coconut palm trees. It is referred to in the Philippines as coconut lumber, or coco lumber, and elsewhere additionally as cocowood or red palm It is a new timber resource that comes from plantation crops and offers an alternative to rainforest timber.

Teak wood is used for making boats, furniture, and other things which require resistance to the elements. Teak is used for outdoor furniture but is not recommended for full exposure to sunlight. Being more expensive than most other woods, teak furniture has become something of a status symbol. Not only is it common for a teak bench, chair, or table to last 70 years with the correct care plan, it is also common to pass down such furniture to future generations as an heirloom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nash Timbers</span>

Nash Timbers is a global and domestic distributor of timber flooring, joinery, and beams.

Rubberwood is a light-colored medium-density tropical hardwood obtained from the Pará rubber tree, usually from trees grown in rubber plantations. Rubberwood is commonly advertised as an "environmentally friendly" wood, as it makes use of plantation trees that have already served a useful function.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masdar City</span> First green city in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Masdar City is a sustainable urban community in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It was built by Masdar, a subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, with the majority of seed capital provided by the Government of Abu Dhabi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable flooring</span>

Sustainable flooring is produced from sustainable materials that reduces demands on ecosystems during its life-cycle. This includes harvest, production, use and disposal. It is thought that sustainable flooring creates safer and healthier buildings and guarantees a future for traditional producers of renewable resources that many communities depend on. Several initiatives have led the charge to bring awareness of sustainable flooring as well as healthy buildings. Below are examples of available, though sometimes less well-known, eco-friendly flooring options. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends those with allergies to dust or other particulates choose flooring with smooth surfaces – such as hardwood, vinyl, linoleum tile or slate.

Palm oil, produced from the oil palm, is a basic source of income for many farmers in South East Asia, Central and West Africa, and Central America. It is locally used as cooking oil, exported for use in much commercial food and personal care products and is converted into biofuel. It produces up to 10 times more oil per unit area than soybeans, rapeseed or sunflowers.

Wilmar International Limited is a Singaporean food processing and investment holding company with more than 300 subsidiary companies. Founded in 1991, it is one of Asia's leading agribusiness groups alongside the COFCO Group. It ranks amongst the largest listed companies by market capitalisation on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), being the second largest as of September 2010. It was ranked 211th in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020. It was ranked 3rd in the World's Most Admired Company by Fortune in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plantation teak</span>

Plantation teak is a tropical hardwood tree from the genus Tectona, endemic to Southeast Asia that is exclusively planted for the purpose of forestry management, for either commercial timber plantations or ecological restoration. Although the genus Tectona is native to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, primarily Indonesia, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh and Thailand, the cultivation of plantation teak is economically viable in other tropical regions such as Central America.

Environmentally sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability and also aimed at improving the health and comfort of occupants in a building. Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and well-being of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy, productive environments.

Royal Golden Eagle is a global integrated, resource-based industrial group, with businesses in paper, palm oil, viscose, construction and energy, property and asset management. Owned by Indonesian businessman Sukanto Tanoto, the group employs 60,000 people worldwide with assets exceeding US$30 billion.

Lumber and wood products, including timber for framing, plywood, and woodworking, are created in the wood industry from the trunks and branches of trees through several processes, commencing with the selection of appropriate logging sites and concluding with the milling and treatment processes of the harvested material. In order to determine which logging sites and milling sites are responsibly producing environmental, social and economic benefits, they must be certified under the Forests For All Forever (FCS) Certification that ensures these qualities.

The wood industry or timber industry is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products and secondary products like wood pulp for the pulp and paper industry. Some of the largest producers are also among the biggest owners of timberland. The wood industry has historically been and continues to be an important sector in many economies.

References

  1. "Seeing The Wood In The Coconut Trees". Australian Financial Review. 25 September 1992. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  2. "Deforestation | Greenpeace Australia Pacific". www.greenpeace.org. Archived from the original on 12 September 2006.
  3. "Pacific Green Inaugurates Masdar City's Sustainable Palm Gates - Green Prophet". 10 February 2011.
  4. "Design for Sustainable Development" (PDF). European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
  5. "Coconut palm stem processing: technical handbook".
  6. "That sinking feeling".
  7. "Salone Del Mobile Milano 2014: Reportage #1". Cappello A Bombetta.