La Lune Collection has incorporated many environmental characteristics into its furniture manufacturing.
La Lune Collection may be the most eco-friendly furniture in the world.
Mario Costantini told CabinetMaker+FDM that Milwaukee is the company's only manufacturing location and about 95 percent of its products are made in their factory in Milwaukee. "We have a few nearby suppliers who provide us with the finishes, hinges, upholstering supplies, etc. but everything is made here," he says. "We also have our own crews to cut the wood “up north” in Wisconsin which is used to make all our furniture," he says. Here's an outline of the process:
1. La Lune harvests only fast-growing and invasive wood species such as poplar and willow for the production of all its products. La Lune harvesting is reported to be beneficial to the restoration of bio-diversity to forests that have been previously clear cut by the lumber industry.
2. All woods are harvested near the factory in Wisconsin, reducing the negative impact and inefficiency of transportation and eliminating any impact on the rainforests of the world where much lumber is harvested by the furniture industry.
3. All harvesting is done by hand by La Lune employees in order to maintain complete control and supervision of the harvesting process. All methods of harvesting are low-tech and eco-friendly using only hand tools. No heavy logging equipment is used.
4. La Lune’s special yet low-tech and low-processing manufacturing methods are designed to be eco-friendly and efficient. Most processes are done entirely by hand using environmentally sound and efficient manufacturing methods. These methods, although sometimes slower, use little energy and generate virtually no waste or pollution.
5. The turn of the century La Lune factory buildings and machinery have been restored incorporating high efficient use of energy. The La Lune factory and most of its machines and equipment date back to the early 1900s. Wood and other waste products are used to fire the kiln and heat the factory building. Even wood shaving waste is used by local farmers for animal bedding.
6. La Lune carries no inventory of furniture and manufactures “just in time” as items are sold. This manufacturing process reduces the expense and the inefficiencies associated with the production and storage of finished inventory. La Lune markets and sells its products only in the United States and Canada in order to reduce the shipping distance to its clients.
7. All La Lune finishes are reported to be non-polluting, non-toxic, non-flammable, water-based finishes that are locally manufactured exclusively for La Lune. Finishes are applied in dip tanks in order to eliminate the airborne pollution, energy costs, and waste products that are generated with typical spray booth applications.
8. La Lune furniture is designed and constructed to last for generations so they will reduce negative environmental impact and landfill waste associated with cheaply made, disposable, non-degradable furniture. However, La Lune furniture is 100 percent bio-degradable, if it should someday be discarded.
9. La Lune’s human sustainability is an important part of its environmental sustainability. In 1986, La Lune relocated its operations to an abandoned factory building in a central city neighborhood now called Riverwest. La Lune has helped to restore the neighborhood by rehabbing the building, providing jobs, and opening a youth center for at-risk children near the factory in 1989.
10. La Lune’s furniture, factory, and company history provide a perfect educational tool to teach others about eco-friendly manufacturing. School and civic groups of all ages regularly tour the La Lune factory in order to learn the La Lune philosophy and process from its founder Mario Costantini. La Lune is also actively supportive of local environmental initiatives, including the Urban Ecology Center, located on the Milwaukee River a few blocks from the La Lune factory. See La Lune Collection for more information.