The SLF Timeline

Award winning Sustainable Living Fabrics has been supplying the commercial interiors market with superior quality furnishing fabrics supported by excellent service for forty years.  

2005

Environmental Certification

Since 2005, Sustainable Living Fabrics has become a world leader in environmentally certified fabrics. With a corporate strategy based on a morally correct sustainability agenda that requires environmental credentials to be independently assessed and certified, the company has driven market awareness of the value of certification of environmental claims and has set unparalleled industry benchmarks.

GECA

It was just the 23rd company to have product licensed to carry the Good Environmental Choice Ecolabel, the first commercial furnishing fabric company to offer fabrics with the GECA Ecolabel to the Australian market and remains the only company to offer every fabric with environmental certification. The company's early journey to sustainability was challenging and can be found here.

Reductions

Since 2005, by reviewing its supply chain, working with suppliers and actively implementing environmental strategies to minimise its environmental footprint, Sustainable Living Fabrics has reduced its carbon emissions by 43%, its water usage by 62%, use of toxic chemicals by up to 92% and toxic emissions by up to 75%.

2006

LEAP

In 2006, Sustainable Living Fabrics also introduced its innovative LEAP wool buying scheme which has driven environmental change at the farm level to ensure an ongoing supply of environmentally preferable low pesticide Leanwool®  to the company’s tight environmental specification. Details can be found here.

Carbon Neutral

In June 2006 Sustainable Living Fabrics became the first carbon neutral textile company offsetting 25% more CO2 equivalent emissions than attributed to the production of every product and every support activity. It planted 30,000 trees through Greenfleet as carbon offset and to support the Murray Darling Rescue Halt the Salt Program. This offset was commercially acceptable but self assessed so the company moved to achieve Greenhouse Friendly accreditation. Details of the AGO Greenhouse Friendly Initiative can be found here.

Banksia Awards

In July 2006, Sustainable Living Fabrics was awarded Finalist in Banksia Awards 2006 Eco Innovation Category for its Green Living Collection and “world leadership in environmental textiles". View award here.

2007

Incentive Programs

In January 2007, the company introduced a Public Transport Incentive Program, reimbursing fares of staff who used public transport to travel to work and offered an additional car allowance to employees who changed to a hybrid car when buying a new car for company business.

In February 2007, the company launched the KISS (Keep it Simple Sustainably) program. Details can be found here.

Premier's Sustainability Award

In April 2007 Sustainable Living Fabrics won the Victorian Premier’s 2007 Environmental Award for Small Business Excellence recognising its environmental leadership. View award here.

Certified Carbon Neutral and Greenhouse Challenge Members

Sustainable Living Fabrics is a member of the Greenhouse Challenge committed to monitoring, reporting and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In May 2007, Sustainable Living Fabrics became the first manufacturer and wholesaler to have every product certified carbon neutral under the Australian Government’s Greenhouse Friendly Initiative and just the tenth company to have product accredited. Details of the AGO Greenhouse Friendly Initiative can be found here.

United Nations Triple Bottom Line Award

In June 2007, Sustainable Living Fabrics won the prestigious United Nations Association of Australia  World Environment Day 2007 Lincolne Scott Triple Bottom Line Award recognising the “synergy of sustainability across the entire supply chain and the work it has done with Australian farms. View award here.

2008

The Global Compact

Sustainable Living Fabrics was just the 24th Australian company to commit to the United Nations Global Compact by formally committing to align its operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

Caring for Climate

Sustainable Living Fabrics became a signatory to and endorses the UN Caring for Climate Statement through the Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform and has committed to reducing its carbon footprint and to developing innovative solutions.

UN CEO Water Mandate

Sustainable Living Fabrics has endorsed the UN CEO Water Mandate endorsing its principles and guidelines for water management and committing to work towards helping the global water crisis by reducing and developing solutions to better water management within its company and its product supply chain.

Launch of Sustainability Report

In March 2008, the company released its Sustainability Report to GRI G3 guidelines. The report can be found here. For further information or to comment, click here.

Extension of Incentive Programs

In March 2008 Sustainable Living Fabrics extended the KISS Water Saving competition to include Turn it Off Now and extended both competitions beyond employees to their nominated family, friends and customers and introduced its Give Back 40 Volunteer Program. Details can be found here.

Fabric Ratings

All fabrics are rated heavy duty and/or commercial screen and specifications can be found here.

Warranty

The Green Living® Collection has exceptional durability, with every fabric carrying a warranty of up to twelve years. For details click here.

Recycling

The company has embraced transparent, credible product stewardship through the entire life cycle and offers a recycling program for its fabrics. Details of this program can be found here.

Green Building Council

Sustainable Living Fabrics has been a member and active supporter of the Green Building Council since 2005. To assist clients in maximising the benefits of its fabrics for Green Star Credits in Australia, Senior Management has undertaken Green Star training  and details of its Accredited Green Star Professionals can be found here.

Involvement in Sustainable Textile Standard

The company has been involved in the review of the final draft of the Sustainable Textile Standard developed by the US Association for Contract Textiles as an industry environmental standard. As it stands at present, this standard does not promise to meet or exceed the high environmental standards demanded by the GECA Ecolabel particularly in terms of mandating reductions in major environmental loads and fitness for purpose.

SLF’s mission

The company actively educates the market on the need to wipe out greenwashing if real environmental progress is to be made and advocates the advantages of independent assessment and accreditation of environmental claims.

Sustainable Living Fabrics seized the opportunity to make a difference and by specifying its fabrics not only can you too make a difference but you can be assured you are in good company!

With our long history of success, it is little wonder that Australians everywhere are sitting on or surrounded by our fabric in national, state and local government; large and small companies, banks and call centres, hospitals and medical centres; universities and schools; hotels and motels; theatres and convention centres.

Sustainable Living Fabrics trusts you will find this website a useful tool in your fabric selection and on the relevance of environmental accreditation as a weapon against greenwashing.

Your feedback is useful to us and it will be warmly welcomed.. Click here to email us.