| Pacific Green | |
| Industry: | Furniture |
| Founder: | Bruce Dowse and Peter Ryan |
| Hq Location City: | Sydney |
| Hq Location Country: | Australia |
| Products: | Furniture and accessories, Architectural materials |
| Homepage: | pacificgreen.net palmwood.net |
Pacific Green designs and manufactures furniture and architectural products. It is most recognised for its development of Palmwood, a sustainable substitute for tropical hardwood. Pacific Green products are distributed internationally.
Post & Rail Furniture was started by Bruce Dowse and Peter Ryan in 1973 in Sydney, Australia. They created various styles of Australian furniture, including the INVESTMENT chair, using plantation wood in its pieces.[1]
As it expanded internationally in the late 1980s, the company rebranded as Pacific Green. Its goal was to create a viable substitute for tropical hardwoods by recycling plantation coconut palms. Although palms are extremely hard and durable, their unique properties made them difficult to work using conventional techniques. Starting in Papua New Guinea, and later in the Fiji, the company established the world’s first factory dedicated to the research and development of coconut palms.[2]
In 1996, Pacific Green opened its first US warehouse and showroom in Los Angeles, followed by retail outlets in Eastern Europe. In 2007, the company established an assembly plant in southern China and flagship retail stores in Asia.
Palmwood was the name Pacific Green gave to the finished ‘hardwood’ material it developed. The company created a durable consumer-oriented material that was suitable in a variety of climates and resilient to wood-boring insects. Palmwood is an ecologically sustainable timber alternative.[3]
Palmwood was chosen as the sustainable exterior wood for Masdar, the world's first 'eco-city' in Abu Dhabi, including gates, screens and doors.[4]
The designs of the furniture are inspired by the artifacts and tools of traditional societies using natural materials sourced from around the world. Each piece is handcrafted by artisans using traditional techniques and is designed to give a sense of its global ethnic origins.
Pacific Green pioneered the creation of a socially responsible industry for the Pacific region.[5] By recycling unproductive coconut palms, old plantation land was returned to the local villages to replant with young fruit-bearing palms and other cash crops. The factory was built in consultation with the surrounding villages; the land used was then leased from the villagers to respect local ownership. Pacific Green Industries (Fiji) Limited is listed on the South Pacific Stock Exchange and its majority owners are the Fijian people.
Manufacturing processes use no toxins or chemicals, and by-products are reused. In 2001, Pacific Green addressed the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on the social responsibility of manufacturing companies. Pacific Green also advised the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on its study on Coconut Palm Stems.[6] From the mid-1990s to early-2000s, actor Pierce Brosnan was the company's Environmental Spokesperson to coincide with the company's expansion into North America.
Pacific Green was invited to participate at the World Expo 2010 within the Pacific Pavilion.[7]
Pacific Green unveiled the Indigenous Masterpieces concept at its debut in Milan's Salone del Mobile in 2011. It was the only Australian company to participate at the trade show between 2011 and 2017.[8]