Jan 24, 2014

Las Vegas Market Reveals Winners of Second Global Goodness Awards

Las Vegas Market announced today that five home décor, furniture and gift firms — Blue Mountain Arts, Chairtech, Palecek, Phillips Collection and Rizzy Home — have been selected as winners of the second Global Goodness Awards, in recognition of their socially responsible products and business practices. The awards will be presented at the Winter 2014 Market, which runs January 26-30, 2014, at World Market Center Las Vegas.

This socially-conscious awards program, which debuted at the Las Vegas Summer 2013 Market, directly relates to dramatic growth in sustainable, environmentally-friendly and Fair Trade products throughout the industry in general, and at the Las Vegas Market in particular.

“Las Vegas Market is pleased and proud to present the Global Goodness Awards program to recognize vendors who are doing well by doing good,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift & Home Décor, International Market Centers. “As the fastest growing furniture, home décor and gift market in the western United States, Las Vegas Market has experienced a substantial influx of exhibitors offering Fair Trade, sustainable and artisanal products. The Global Goodness initiative is just one way in which International Market Centers is demonstrating its commitment to supporting environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible businesses.”

The Global Goodness Awards program supplements an ongoing partnership Las Vegas Market has with the Sustainable Furnishings Council to create “ONE GOOD WORLD,” a sweeping program that not only equips retailers with the insights, information and strategies needed to respond to the rising consumer demand for sustainable furnishings, but also encompasses the many eco-friendly practices at World Market Center’s trade complex. The effort includes a sustainable products locator program, showcasing relevant at-Market resources, expanded educational offerings addressing issues and opportunities connected with sustainability. Details are available online at http://www.sustainablefurnishings.org/post/one-good-guide-las-vegas-market-winter-2014.

In addition, two of Las Vegas Market’s 13 temporary exhibit categories – MADE and GLOBAL – highlight the wide variety of gift and home décor exhibitors offering sustainable and Fair Trade products. Located on C11, MADE showcases handcrafted, artisanal products including handmade ceramics, pottery, home décor, letterpress, apparel and jewelry; and GLOBAL presents unique products from around the world with an emphasis on fairly traded products, social responsibility and global community development.

Winners of the winter 2014 Global Goodness Awards were selected based on their activities to integrate sustainable and socially responsible practices into their businesses and manufacturing processes, and thereby improve the lives of people all over the world. Details about the five winners, and their efforts to make the world a better place, follow.

Blue Mountain Arts has used recycled papers and soy-based inks since its founding. Its newest card line, Classic Blue Mountain Arts®, is printed on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance, demonstrating that beautiful products can be created without compromise using sustainable materials.

Chairtech ensures that all of its furniture is produced in an ethical manner by participating in the United Nations’ Global Compact, which addresses 10 principles regarding human rights, the environment and anti-corruption initiatives; the company’s manufacturing facility in China has been recognized as a model for other producers.

Palecek designs and produces high-end furniture and accessories using sustainable natural materials and eco-friendly production practices The company also consistently provides aid during global relief efforts, most recently donating funds to rebuild school structures destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Phillips Collection has collaborated with the local northern Thailand artisan community, creating products such as the Galvanized Disk Wall Décor and Olympic Rings Screen from reclaimed oil drums from landfills.

Rizzy Home undertakes humanitarian activities in India, where the company built and finances two schools offering free education to women in villages where the company’s rugs are manufactured. Rizzy also built two hospitals; offers free eye care and ambulatory clinics; and a plastic recycling plant making rugs and carpet from waste materials.

A complete listing of Global Goodness submissions can be viewed here.

The three inaugural Global Goodness honorees recognized during the Summer 2013 Las Vegas Market were Bridgewater Candle Co., Kismet Designs and SEAsTra. Bridgewater Candle Co. partners with Rice Bowls, a non-profit organization whose mission is to feed and nurture orphaned children worldwide. Bridgewater donates 75 cents from every jar candle sold to Rice Bowls to feed an orphaned child for a day through its “Light a Candle Feed a Child” program. Similarly, Kismet Designs has been working directly with artisans in rural India since 1999, using sustainable local resources and recycled vintage materials in its beautiful handmade products. SEAsTra promotes increased economic stability and sustainability, working with primarily rural, artisan groups in Thailand, creating hand-woven silk and cotton scarves and shawls; repurposed, hand embroidered Hill Tribe fabric handbags; handcrafted jewelry; and legacy fabric shoes and boots.

Las Vegas Market is the leading furniture, home decor and gift marketplace in the western U.S., presenting 2,000+ gift, home décor and furniture resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furniture and home décor lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries. The Winter 2014 Las Vegas Market runs January 26-30, 2014, at World Market Center Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com.

ABOUT LAS VEGAS MARKET AND INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS, L.P.

Las Vegas Market is the most comprehensive furniture, home décor and gift market in the United States, presenting a unique cross-section of 2,000+ resources in an unrivaled market destination. With two markets each year, retailers and designers can shop a broad assortment of product from thousands of manufacturers of furniture, mattress, lighting, decorative accessories, floor coverings, home textiles, tabletop, general gift and more – delivering the most complete, cross-category wholesale tradeshow for the furniture, home décor and gift industries in the United States. For more information, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Las Vegas Market is produced by International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. International Market Centers owns and operates 11.5 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C. and Las Vegas. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furnishings, home décor and gift industries. For more information on IMC, visit http://imcenters.com/.