BEDROOM FURNITURE MAKER OKOOKO JUDGED NEW ZEALAND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

It takes guts to do something against the grain, especially when it involves staking your life’s business on it. 19 years ago Dave Macfarlane, founder of Okooko New Zealand decided his business would only operate by sustainable business principles.

Back then sustainability meant wearing hemp and going barefoot. We’re pretty sure Dave never subscribed to the barefoot philosophy however; his was more about creating healthy and award winning products while protecting the planet at the same time. His sustainable ethos has remained with the successful New Zealand company to this day and is firmly engrained in the culture of the business.

This is one of the reasons why the judges chose Okooko as Sustainable Business of the Year for 2007. Sustainable Business Network CEO, Rachel Brown, says, “Judges were impressed by the leadership in the organisation, which sees their sustainable business philosophy extend throughout the entire company, it is consistent in all staff. They also commented on the lifecycle analysis Okooko has in place for all of their products, from design to end of life; while producing good looking, stylish designs.”

“Okooko also have great relationships with the community in a broader sense. They are involved in their regional Sustainable Business Network, starting initiatives such as ‘Greendrinks’ in their local community; bringing together like-minded business and individuals to share their sustainable business ideas. They have a great number of initiatives underway that promote sustainability both inside and outside their business which is fantastic to see.”

“We really can’t do enough to promote sustainability, to support businesses that are doing their best to protect our planet,” says Dave. “I encourage all New Zealand businesses to bring sustainability into their strategy and operations.”

Sustainability is a continuous journey for Okooko. Since day one some 19 years ago they are still introducing innovative new ideas for becoming more sustainable. “Most of the good ideas come from the staff on the floor these days," Dave said when describing the culture of the business. The staff are all encouraged, and in turn encourage their friends and family to think about the products and services they use in their own lives.

“As customers, asking questions about the products we buy is the best way to ensure we are living with, and using safe, healthy and planet conscious products. How long will it last? Can I dispose of it or recycle it safely? What is the ethos of the company I’m buying this product from? Too often as consumers we forget about a product we’ve used as soon as we leave it for collection at our front gate” says Dave. This way we are encouraging all businesses to create sustainable, healthy products.

The top accolade couldn’t come at a better time, as the company recently opened the first of their newly branded Okooko retail concept stores. In the past three months stores have opened in Wellington, Hong Kong and Philadelphia. “This recognition only makes our story that much stronger as we look to introduce the stores to new locations globally,” said Dave.

The National Sustainable Business Awards were held last night at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the top award was presented by Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Okooko Sustainable Business Initiatives:
The key development for Okooko this year was Fusion; developing the technology and resource to produce not only a great bed and furniture range, but one that fully utilizes their most valuable, 100% sustainable Rimu resource.

Okooko harvest timber by helicopter from guaranteed sustainable native forests. They are one of the few furniture manufacturers to be ISO14001 accredited, using sustainable resources and manufacturing processes wherever possible. Energy is purchased from wind or hydro power sources. Waste streams are minimised through smart design, recycling and innovations to reuse materials. For example, any timber waste from the factory is compacted into briquettes before being on-sold as fuel.

Products are designed with resource, process and end of life in mind. Okooko plants a tree for every bed and bedroom furniture suite sold through their Plant a Tree Programme. They have planted over 57,000 trees in schools, parks and reserves in New Zealand to date. They also support EERST (Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust), rewarding schools for their cardboard and paper recycling efforts by donating trees.

Okooko’s next goal is to achieve zero waste, along with a number of other initiatives planned for this year.

“Sustainability: It’s what each of us would do if we knew we were going to live forever.”
(Business Council for Sustainable Development).