News Updates / Home Furnishings Sector Convenes for 36th Annual ARTS Awards 2026

Home Furnishings Sector Convenes for 36th Annual ARTS Awards 2026

Sustainable Furnishings Council

Home furnishings leaders, Cascale attended the 2026 ARTS Awards in Dallas. As the premier furniture showcase, the gala brought together many Sustainable Furnishings Council members.

January 20, 2026

Furniture manufacturers, retailers, and designers convened in Dallas earlier this month for the 36th Annual ARTS Awards.

The annual event is the premier international showcase for home furnishings design, retail, and manufacturing success.

Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC), the assets of which Cascale acquired in 2025, was also in attendance, including SFC board chair and MOCA+ founder Michela O’Connor Abrams, along with SFC executive director Scarlette Tapp.

O’Connor Abrams presented the Green Award with Colleen Daly, vice president of The Howard Elliott Collection and president of the Accessories Resource Team (ART). This year, the award was judged solely by O’Connor Abrams and recognized the single most sustainable manufacturer for its transparency and sustainable practices. In their remarks, O’Connor Abrams and Daly highlighted the industry’s unity during the ceremony, forecasting impact through SFC’s alliance with Cascale.

Together, ART and Dallas Market Center convene the ARTS Awards each year. Held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, the gala reception capstones the January Dallas Total Home & Gift Market.

In all, there were over 600 attendees, with strong representation from SFC. Returning again this year, Emmy-winning TV personality and stylist Carson Kressley and celebrity interior designer Thom Filicia co-hosted the evening.

As in years past, category awards were for: Accent Furniture, Area Rugs, Home Accents, Home Textiles, Lamps, Lighting Fixtures, Outdoor Living, Tabletop, Wall Décor, Furniture Store, Home Accents (East Region), Home Accents (West Region), Lighting Showroom (East Region), Lighting Showroom (West Region), Design Studio, Interior Designer, Product Designer, Sales Representatives (East Region), and Sales Representatives (West Region).

The Sustainable Furnishings Council recognized these SFC members in advance of the Awards Gala, through the SFC newsletter and social media, who were finalists in various award categories. Congratulations go to SFC founding member Phillips Collection and Libby Langdon for their wins!

Manufacturer Accent Furniture: Home Trends & Design
Manufacturer Home Accents: Red Egg
Manufacturer Lamps: Arteriors
Manufacturer Wall Décor: Phillips Collection
Manufacturer Wall Décor: Wexel Art
Product Designer: Pamela Bailey for Currey & Company
Product Designer: Libby Langdon for Libby Langdon Interiors
Retailer, Furniture: The Arrangement

Special honors were also given for the Legendary Leadership Award, posthumously honoring Bill Winsor, former chairman emeritus, president, and CEO of Dallas Market Center; the HEARTS Award, presented to Heart on Main Street; and the Academy of Achievement Award.

Photographed from left to right: Carol Gregg (Owner, red egg); Jason Phillips (CEO, Phillips Collection); Michela O’Connor Abrams (BOD Chair, SFC), Hank Cravey (CEO, Home Trends & Design); and Scarlette Tapp (Executive Director, SFC, Cascale)

Blogs / How the Wood Furniture Scorecard Moves the Needle on Responsible Wood Sourcing

How the Wood Furniture Scorecard Moves the Needle on Responsible Wood Sourcing

Sustainable Furnishings Council

In this blog, Sustainable Furnishing Council’s program director Angie Kenny discusses how the Wood Furniture Scorecard drives the furniture industry to make more responsible, transparent wood sourcing choices. Cascale acquired SFC key assets in September.

Angie Kenny

November 21, 2025

A walk through a furniture store may lead you to an eye-catching walnut mid-century console, a reclaimed ash dining table, or a sturdy white oak platform bed – each designed, manufactured, and sold to appeal to a certain consumer aesthetic.

But today’s furniture consumers are beginning to look beyond the design, understanding that behind every piece of wood furniture is a forest somewhere in the world and a decision is made about how that forest is managed. These wood sourcing decisions affect more than just furniture buyers, as they have an impact on forest health and longevity.

That’s why, eight years ago, the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) created the Wood Furniture Scorecard: to shine a light on those decisions, and to help move the home furnishings industry toward truly responsible wood sourcing.

This month, we released the 2025 Wood Furniture Scorecard, and the results tell an important story: Furniture retailers are standing firm in their commitment to responsible wood sourcing even as uncertain economic conditions might entice them to waiver in that commitment.

Purpose and Scope

The Wood Furniture Scorecard is a collaborative initiative between SFC and NWF that assesses furniture retailers on their wood sourcing policies and practices. The Scorecard evaluates over 100 North American furniture retailers on their annual wood sourcing policies, goals, and practices. Its aim is to promote transparency, accountability, and progress toward sustainable forestry and ethical supply chains in the furniture industry — the world’s third-largest wood consumer.

The Scorecard is, at its core, an accountability tool. It empowers consumers to make informed choices, rewards companies that are making steady progress, and challenges the rest of the industry to move beyond incremental steps toward real, transformative change.

How it Works

Companies are assessed across three main areas: responsible wood sourcing policy, sourcing practices and performance, and any additional actions that promote public transparency (such as publishing detailed descriptions of wood sources on a company website).

In simple terms, the Scorecard asks retailers:

Do you have a clear, public policy for responsible wood sourcing, and are you implementing the policy?
Are you prioritizing certified wood — especially Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) — and reclaimed wood?
Are you transparent with your customers about where your wood comes from and how it is sourced?

Evaluations are based on publicly available data and direct company engagement. Retailers receive tailored recommendations to improve and implement their sourcing policies, helping them move from commitment to measurable action. Each year, companies can achieve “Top Score” or “High Score” status, and one company can achieve “Most Improved” status.

Key Updates for 2025

The 2025 edition continues its focus on encouraging and rewarding companies to set and publicly report targets, recognizing transparency as vital for industry accountability and progress.

Two Cascale member companies achieved high scores this year: Williams Sonoma Inc., achieving Top Score status, and Target, maintaining its High Score.

Why it Matters

As a public-facing tool, the scorecard encourages consumers to play a direct role in forest conservation. By choosing responsibly sourced wood furniture — especially products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) — buyers can help protect forests, biodiversity, and local communities.

Further, Cascale’s acquisition of key SFC assets means that this visibility travels far and wide, directly supporting this co-minded mission. SFC’s tools strongly align with and support Cascale’s impact pillars, helping the consumer goods industry collectively catalyze collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

View the Full Scorecard

News Updates / Cascale Members Featured in SFC Wood Furniture Scorecard 2025

Cascale Members Featured in SFC Wood Furniture Scorecard 2025

Sustainable Furnishings Council

Cascale members Williams-Sonoma and Target are among the top and high-scoring companies in the 2025 Wood Furniture Scorecard, an annual accountability tool based on wood sourcing best practices.

A vivid green forest photograph with blue sky in background shot by Gabriel Cernei via Unsplash.com

November 14, 2025

Cascale members are among the top and high-scoring companies in the 2025 Wood Furniture Scorecard, an annual accountability tool from the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) that evaluates furniture retailers on their wood sourcing policies and the implementation of these policies.

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has advanced from a high scorer to a top scorer since last year. A Cascale member since 2014, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the parent company of many namesake brands, including Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Teen, Pottery Barn Kids, West Elm, and Rejuvenation.

Target, a consistently strong performer, has maintained its high-score status. Both companies are members of Cascale. Target has been a Cascale member since 2013 and is one of the organization’s founding members, operating from its Minneapolis-based headquarters with more than 1,800 stores and over 35 distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada.

Now in its eighth year, the Wood Furniture Scorecard — led by SFC and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) — highlights companies that are driving more sustainable and transparent wood sourcing practices across the furniture sector. The initiative recognizes three award levels: Top Scorers, High Scorers, and Most Improved. Scores are published annually on the SFC website in November. This year’s scorecard included analysis of 111 total companies. According to the scorecard’s methodology, Top Scorers earned 30 or more points across the three categories of Responsible Wood Sourcing Policy; Responsible Sourcing Practices and Performance; and Additional Actions. High Scorers include 19 to 29 points across the three categories. Most Improved includes companies that earn at least 10 points more than they have earned in previous years, though less than the threshold for High Score, though no companies scored in 2025 met this criteria.

This is the first Wood Furniture Scorecard to be released since Cascale acquired key assets of the SFC in September 2025, extending Cascale’s impact beyond apparel into the home furnishings sector and supporting its two pillars: combating climate change and promoting decent work for all.

Cascale commends the ongoing leadership of SFC and NWF in promoting credible, data-driven approaches to sustainability. Responsible material sourcing is a cornerstone of climate action and decent work across the consumer goods value chain — values shared across Cascale’s global alliance and embedded in its members’ pursuit of measurable impact for both people and planet.

Read the Full 2025 Scorecard Here

News Updates / Cascale and Sustainable Furnishings Council Engage at Greenbuild 2025

Cascale and Sustainable Furnishings Council Engage at Greenbuild 2025

Sustainable Furnishings Council

Sustainability leaders from around the world gathered at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Los Angeles to explore how data, design, and collaboration can accelerate the shift toward low-carbon, circular, and health-focused built environments.

Cascale, SFC attend the Greenbuild Conference in Los Angeles in 2025.

November 13, 2025

Sustainability leaders from around the world gathered at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in Los Angeles to explore how data, design, and collaboration can accelerate the shift toward low-carbon, circular, and health-focused built environments.

This year’s event focused on the intersection of materials innovation, emissions reduction, and human health — priorities that align closely with Cascale’s mission to drive equitable and restorative business practices across the consumer goods industry.

In September, Cascale acquired the tools of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC), the only industry-wide member organization dedicated to advancing sustainability in home furnishings. Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Cascale communications director, and Scarlette Tapp, executive director at SFC, attended the conference as well as Greenbuild’s Women in Green luncheon.

Sponsored by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) – a nonprofit that supports sustainable forest management –the luncheon featured a keynote by Annie Perkins, senior director, green building and supply chain at SFI. It also included a presentation by Jothsna Harris, founder of Change Narrative, who moderated a panel that included Christine Marez, senior vice president, Sustainability & ESG, Cumming Group; Kris Larson, assistant chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department; and Clove Galilee, community engagement coordinator at the Office of Sustainability and the Environment for the City of Santa Monica.

Participation at Greenbuild underscores Cascale’s commitment to connecting industries that share similar value-chain challenges and opportunities — from apparel to furniture and beyond. By fostering these cross-sector conversations, Cascale and SFC continue to strengthen collaboration, scale credible measurement, and support innovation that delivers measurable environmental and social impact.

News Updates / Cascale, Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) Mark Presence at High Point Market

Cascale, Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) Mark Presence at High Point Market

Sustainable Furnishings Council

Now under Cascale, Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) staff attend the High Point Market in High Point, N.C. October 25-29.

November 07, 2025

Cascale staff in attendance included Ashley Buchalter, Angie Kenny, and Scarlette Tapp.

Now under Cascale, Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) staff attended the High Point Market in High Point, N.C. October 25 to 29.

Cascale staff in attendance included Ashley Buchalter, manager, global membership development, AMER; Angie Kenny, manager, Cascale’s Sustainable Furnishings Council; and Scarlette Tapp, executive director of SFC. Approximately 38 SFC members exhibited at the market, among them American Leather, Copeland Furniture, Jaipur Living, Home Trends & Design, Hooker Furnishings, Vanguard Furniture, Composad, Arteriors, and Norwalk Furniture. The brands’ showrooms were spread across the furniture market district.

High Point Market focuses attention on buyer and designer education, hosting seminars with topics around sustainable materials, trends, and celebrity designer-licensed furniture. Highlights included a keynote from Amy Astley, who was celebrating her 10th anniversary as editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest, and a “Learning from Leaders Forum” around sustainable sourcing, with representative SFC member companies in discussion. Also new this fall, the National Kitchen + Bath Association (NKBA) debuted at High Point Market, marking a strategic expansion into whole-home design.

Angie Kenny, SFC manager, judged and co-presented the Green Leaf Award at the annual Pinnacle Awards Ceremony hosted by International Furniture Designers Association.

Two SFC member companies were presented with Pinnacle Awards in other categories during the ceremony. These included Phillips Collection, winner of the “Accessories & Wall Décor” category; and Greenington Fine Bamboo Furniture, winner of the “Stationary Upholstery-Broad Appeal” category.

Furniture industry advocates will next convene at the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market and the 36th Annual ARTS Awards in Dallas in January 2026.

Blogs / SFC’s Guidance for Furniture, Home Goods Amid Trade Volatility

SFC’s Guidance for Furniture, Home Goods Amid Trade Volatility

Sustainable Furnishings Council

With the U.S. looking to increase tariffs on imports of timber, lumber, and derivative products like furniture, the Sustainable Furnishings Council (now part of Cascale) offers guidance.

Unsplash image of a peaceful lush forest via Wim van 't Einde.

Scarlette Tapp

October 17, 2025

Trade has never been certain, and certainly not this year. When we announced that Cascale acquired Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) assets in September, we knew alignment would be key to navigating uncertainty.

On October 10, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued guidance that effectively established new Section 232 tariffs on timber, lumber, and derivative wood products. For some goods, these duties already came into effect on October 14, and more escalations are slated for January 1, 2026 including an additional proposed duty on upholstered wood furniture (from 25 percent to 30 percent) and kitchen cabinets and vanities (from 25 percent to 50 percent).

In response to these new Section 232 tariffs, SFC offered the following recommendations:

Urges the Administration to ensure new furniture and lumber tariffs don’t penalize companies committed to responsible sourcing.

Calls for clear exclusions for FSC-certified, low-carbon, and traceable imports — protecting progress on climate and circularity goals.

Reaffirms its commitment to evidence-based, market-driven sustainability that strengthens both U.S. manufacturing – and scales impact beyond the U.S. – through proven and ethical global environmental stewardship.

Even without this adherence, we remind our members and the Cascale community that ethical business matters in these times. As Cascale has asserted in the past, the global impact of tariffs is wide-reaching, spanning the entire value chain. It’s our hope that through collaboration between SFC and Cascale, we can scale the change needed further, in the U.S. and beyond.

We have a substantial impact together. As a refresher, SFC, with its 124 members, is the leading sustainability resource center for the home furnishings industry, focusing on suppliers, manufacturers, retailers of interior furnishings, and the designers who specify them. The information, education, and tools provided by SFC promote transparency and encourage action to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of our industry. And, of course, Cascale covers not just apparel, textiles, and footwear – but the wider swath of the consumer goods industry, which includes home furnishings.

Responsible business can be the norm. With tariffs creating real uncertainty across the furniture sector, it starts with sustainable sourcing. As I have witnessed during my time as executive director of SFC, our members strive to incorporate responsibly-sourced wood (Forest Stewardship Council-certified, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, or reclaimed) into their supply chains to combat climate change. As many U.S. furniture manufacturers and retailers are sourcing and importing wood, cabinetry, and upholstered wood furniture from outside of the U.S., SFC educates about and promotes responsible sourcing from well-managed forests. These encompass those that do not contribute to illegal logging, deforestation, forest degradation, biodiversity loss, or human or labor rights violations.

So as the trade landscape evolves, together with Cascale, we aim to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry, while ensuring members know the importance of maintaining resilient and ethical business practices.

Navigate Change Together. Join Cascale.

Blogs / Sustainable Furnishing Council’s Next Chapter Continues with Cascale

Sustainable Furnishing Council’s Next Chapter Continues with Cascale

Annual Meeting
Sustainable Furnishings Council

In this guest blog, Sustainable Furnishing Council’s Scarlette Tapp outlines the organization’s leadup to its 19th anniversary this fall, including the transformative announcement for the global home furnishings industry: Cascale is acquiring SFC’s key assets.

Scarlette Tapp

September 25, 2025

Nearly two decades ago, leading furniture manufacturers founded the Sustainable Furnishings Council with a simple but powerful vision: to transform the home furnishings industry through sustainability.

Today, on behalf of our Board of Directors and SFC voting members, I am proud to share that our mission is stepping onto the global stage.

By joining forces with Cascale — the global alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry — we are unlocking new opportunities for the furniture industry to lead in climate action and social responsibility.

This is not the end of SFC’s story — it is a powerful next chapter that evokes exciting new opportunities within the consumer goods industry.

SFC’s services will be delivered by Cascale, while SFC continues as a membership organization for a transitional period. This means SFC members benefit from the same trusted brand, but with expanded support from Cascale.

Our tools, programs, people and community are now part of a larger ecosystem where the impact will be broader, deeper, and global.

Our Journey: From Grassroots to Industry Leaders

Since our beginnings in 2006, SFC has been the voice for sustainability in the home furnishings industry. What started as a grassroots effort by concerned furnishings stakeholders at High Point Market (one of the largest home furnishings markets in the world) has grown into a respected industry-wide coalition.

Together, we’ve:

Championed responsible wood sourcing, spotlighting third-party certifications such Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, to fight against illegal logging which decimates our climate and contributes to biodiversity loss.
Through education, we helped members eliminate chemicals of concern in their materials, incorporate fair labor practices across the value chain, and develop circular business models.
Created signature tools like the Wood Furniture Scorecard with partner National Wildlife Federation (NWF) along with our exclusive member Eco-Insight Assessment Tool, both of which empower companies to be transparent, measure, improve, and share their progress.
Called attention to the staggering waste problem, with millions of tons of furniture (often called “fast furniture”) discarded each year.

Looking back, it is remarkable how far we’ve come — and humbling to see how our members’ leadership has transformed consumer awareness and industry standards.

Why Cascale? Why Now?

Cascale is uniquely positioned to take our mission to the next level. Formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale rebranded in 2024 to reflect its expansion into consumer goods industries beyond fashion — including furnishings. With over 300 global members representing brands, manufacturers, retailers, and NGOs, Cascale is a proven force for systemic change, catalyzing collective action at scale.

Through tools like the Higg Index, and the Better Buying supplier surveys of buyer purchasing practices, which it acquired earlier this year, Cascale has helped companies worldwide measure their environmental and social impact. Now, by bringing SFC’s assets and expertise into the alliance, the home furnishings industry will gain access to these robust global frameworks — while Cascale gains the insights, relationships, and tools SFC has built over nearly two decades.

To emphasize, this marks a strategic fit for all organizations and comes at a prime moment, especially witnessing the momentum first-hand atCascale’s flagship Annual Meeting, where members get together to solve systemic challenges. While our industry’s sustainability challenges are complex, together we can accelerate solutions at scale.

What This Means for Our Industry and Our Members

For SFC members: The SFC services will be delivered by Cascale, while SFC continues as a membership organization for a transitional period. This means SFC members benefit from the same trusted brand but with expanded support from Cascale.
For Cascale members: Over time, as the integration process progresses, SFC’s key assets will be accessible to Cascale members.
For the industry: While Cascale is acquiring the SFC brand, SFC will continue to use its logo and branding to ensure ongoing recognition amid transition.
For consumers: The work we’ve done at SFC to educate and inspire more conscious purchasing will now resonate even more powerfully, as global brands and retailers align around shared standards under Cascale’s mission.

Looking Forward: A Call to Action

I invite every one of you — members, partners, and friends of SFC — to stay ambitious and engaged with us in shaping this next chapter. Together, we are scaling our vision and impact in ways that will define the future of our industry.

As I reflect on 19 years of SFC’s journey, I am grateful for the passion and persistence of our founders, members, partners, and supporters. Together, we’ve proven that sustainability is not a trend — it’s the future of furnishings.

For More, See the Press Release