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Why Buyer Demands Continue to Drive Fashion Supply Risks

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Combat Climate Change / Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC)

Sustainable Furnishings Council

  • Sustainable Furnishings Council

Cascale announced the acquisition of key assets of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) publicly at the Annual Meeting 2025.

Established in High Point, N.C. in 2006, SFC is the leading membership-based organization for sustainable furniture designers, brands, retailers, and manufacturers. For decades, SFC has championed more sustainable wood and furniture sourcing practices. Under Cascale – SFC’s legacy continues with necessary scale and reach.

Together, SFC and Cascale help the home furnishings sector move from isolated efforts toward a more coordinated, credible approach. Support sustainability across the wider consumer goods industry.

SFC Member? Join Cascale.
Image courtesy of Phillips Collection, depicting a modern light-filled office with wood-carved furniture.

How We’re Supporting Sustainability in Home Furnishings:

  • Help brands and manufacturers lead on sustainability with tools and programs for sustainable furniture.
  • Make supply chains more transparent and responsible, supporting furniture sustainability standards.
  • Strengthen buyer-supplier relationships with clear expectations and practical guidance for sustainable home furnishings.
  • Amplify manufacturer voices in shaping industry solutions for certified sustainable furnishings.
  • Convene a like-minded community in purposeful engagement
Vertical Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) logo 2025
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A close-up image of a furniture maker measuring the bottom of a chair.

Reliable data is the foundation for responsible furniture sourcing. 

Today, the Higg Index tools (especially the latest updates in the Higg MSI v3.11 and Higg FEM 2025) are fit for use for unique needs in sustainable furnishings and wider consumer goods.

SFC’s tools, including the Eco-Insight Assessment Tool, and an accredited sustainability course, are owned by Cascale, though not fully integrated into the Higg Index ecosystem. Cascale will continue to support the Wood Furniture Scorecard, an annual accountability tool driving responsible wood sourcing practices across retailers’ supply chains, in 2026.

The Wood Furniture Scorecard will continue to be supported by Cascale in 2026. The goal of the Wood Furniture Scorecard is to encourage furniture retailers to implement robust, transparent wood sourcing policies to help fight deforestation and biodiversity loss. Companies are assessed annually, and evaluated and ranked based on their wood sourcing policies, and the implementation of those policies. SFC also encourages companies to set, strive toward, and report on public climate, sustainability and environmental goals to increase internal alignment and motivation, and create external accountability.

Read about the Wood Furniture Scorecard
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An Overview of SFC’s Tools

About the Eco-Insight Assessment Tool

The Home Furnishings Eco-Insight Assessment Tool (EIA) is a series of 76 questions divided into six categories: carbon; health; water; social; waste, and; circularity, supporting companies to establish benchmarks and guide progress towards achieving climate and sustainability goals and targets.

About the Wood Furniture Scorecard

Responsible wood sourcing is foundational to climate action and biodiversity protection. The Wood Furniture Scorecard, an initiative of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), offers a credible, comparable way to demonstrate progress.

Keep an eye on upcoming Cascale and industry events to convene together.

Attend the ARTS Awards in January 2026.
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FAQ – SFC and Existing Tools

View All Questions
  • What is the Sustainable Furnishings Council?
    SFC is the leading membership-based organization for sustainable furniture designers, brands, retailers, and manufacturers. For decades, SFC has championed more sustainable wood and furniture sourcing practices. In September 2025, Cascale announced the acquisition of key assets of the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) publicly at the Annual Meeting in Hong Kong. Now under Cascale, SFC’s legacy continues with necessary scale and reach.
  • What is the Wood Furniture Scorecard?
    Responsible wood sourcing is foundational to climate action and biodiversity protection. The Wood Furniture Scorecard, an initiative of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), offers a credible, comparable way to demonstrate progress. The Wood Furniture Scorecard enables companies to consistently evaluate their responsible sourcing strategies, identify gaps and opportunities in sourcing practices, and demonstrate progress and transparency to regulators, customers and other key stakeholders in a structured way.
  • What is the GREENleaders Certified Sustainability Training?
    GREENleaders, originally developed by the Sustainable Furnishings Council and now a Cascale educational asset, is widely recognized as the most comprehensive sustainability training in residential home furnishings. The course provides practical grounding in environmental issues, eco-friendly consumer trends, responsible material and product sourcing, and best practices in sustainable interior design. Graduates earn a respected credential as a GREENleaders / Green Accredited Professional and may receive continuing education credit from leading design and green-building organizations such as GBCI and IDCEC. GREENleaders helps brands, retailers, and designers translate sustainability goals into operational action, by embedding sustainability across the business, and building internal capacity and shared understanding across teams, for more informed sourcing, design and purchasing practices.
  • What is the Eco-Insight Assessment Tool?
    The Home Furnishings Eco-Insight Assessment Tool (or the "EIA") is a series of 76 questions divided into six categories: carbon; health; water; social; waste, and; circularity, supporting companies to establish benchmarks and guide progress towards achieving climate and sustainability goals and targets. Participation helps companies align expectations across the value chain, reduce duplication, and focus effort where it matters most. Companies receive a clear view of supplier environmental practices, supporting responsible sourcing and risk-based due diligence, and enabling consistent data collection across suppliers. The EIA reduces fragmentation and inefficiency, helps facilities to identify priority risks and improvement opportunities, and supports credible reporting and decision-making aligned with emerging regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

Additional Resources

Tackling Toxics: Healthier Furniture, People & Planet

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What Happens Next with the SFC Tools?

Today, the Higg Index tools (especially the latest updates in the Higg MSI v3.11 and Higg FEM 2025) are fit for use for unique needs in sustainable furnishings and wider consumer goods.

SFC’s tools, including the Eco-Insight Assessment Tool, and an accredited sustainability course, are owned by Cascale, though not fully integrated into the Higg Index ecosystem. Cascale will continue to support the Wood Furniture Scorecard, an annual accountability tool driving responsible wood sourcing practices across retailers’ supply chains, in 2026.What

Read about the Wood Furniture Scorecard.
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Questions?

Interested in Learning More about SFC? → Get in Touch