Philippines brings eco-design ideas to the Japan Home and Building Show

PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 25, 2009 – More than able to rise to the challenge of evolving consumer expectations is the Philippine delegation participating in this year’s 31st Japan Home and Building Show on November 11-13, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan.

Considered the ultimate all-professional building and construction materials event in East Asia, the Philippines’ 5th year participation to the event will showcase how the Philippine brand, already reputable for reliability, exquisite artistry, and competitive price and quality, is not only about its skilled mastery of crafts but is likewise geared towards environmental compliance and green ethics in the building and construction industry.  

*Breathing new life into waste
Coast Pacific Manufacturing Corporation, recipient of the Department of Trade and Industry’s highest recognition for top Filipino exporters – the Golden Shell Award – in 1993, achieves the “natural wood” look for its products via plastic extrusion, thereby reducing the demand for trees. Natural debris like fallen leaves and coconut shells are fossilized and laminated in order to come up with stone tiles and laminated panels, indoor and outdoor furniture, and various home furnishings that speak of their design, functionality, quality, and product guarantee.

Naturescast, the brand Nature’s Legacy Eximport, Inc. (Golden Shell Awardee for 2004) is famously known for, is produced through patented material innovations that transform agro-forest debris into designs for furniture and home accessories, lawn and garden products, fashion accessories, footwear, architecture and interior designs, and packaging materials. Pete Delantar, President of Nature’s Legacy, calls their advocacy as “regeneration… we put [these wastes] into good use and extend [their] life.”

*Manufactured stones for the long-term
GT Stoneworks takes pride in its over 56 different profiles of manufactured stone wall claddings, with special emphasis on its distinct Zen designs that incorporate the peace and tranquility of nature.  Also included in its lineup are concrete floor stamping systems, as well as “Turfworks” (artificial grass) for decorative purposes.

EZ Rocks Co., Inc. has been supplying for the manufactured stone veneer industry since 1997, and its name is indicative of the ease with which its lightweight products are installed. In look and touch, its engineered stones are perfect replicas of their natural stone counterparts and require all but minimal maintenance.  

An experienced exporter to many parts of the globe, Piedra Systems, Inc. ensures that its manufacturing process does no harm to its workers and to the environment. “In manufacturing, we don’t use fiberglass,” explained Vice President Alan Guzman of Piedra, “because [it’s] a carcinogenic material known to cause cancer, so we don’t do that. [Instead] we use high-end polyurethane rubber, [which] lasts longer.”

*Nature in furniture
Demex Rattancraft, Inc., established in 1977, makes rattan furniture with designs that range from the traditional to the contemporary. Its main export furniture products utilize wood laminated with round core, or wicker/rattan and wicker in combination with wrought iron.  Having been exposed to international demand from the US, Europe, and Japan, Demex now embraces a trend towards simpler designs that speak of both elegance and utility.

Beauty begets beauty in the “Venus Way” of Venus Crafts Corporation, as it produces lovely furniture that brings into being sustainable livelihood for hundreds of poor families. For CEO and President Venus Genson, their “trash to cash business” makes use of indigenous materials such as wild vine, rattan, bamboo, seagrass, and coco twigs in their specifically designed furniture, wall tiles, and panels.

*Constantly innovating
Teresa Marble Corporation is a top exporter of high-quality marble products that include slabs, blocks, tiles, splitface materials, and fabricated stones, that are engineered with the use of the Diamond Cutting Technology it has pioneered in the Philippines. As a company that keeps up with new trends and techniques in handling marble, it is motivated by an ever-increasing eco-awareness in the form of tree plantings and quarterly environmental monitoring.

With high gloss retention and superior corrosive protection, Corro- Coat/ Chemrez Technologies Inc.’s powder coatings substitute for the environmentally harmful wet paint.  An advocate of green chemistry, the company is working towards optimizing resources and minimizing waste. “We are IMS Certified,” Edison See, Corro-Coat Senior Product Manager shared, “and we have removed dangerous chemicals and heavy metals from our processes. By this, we are gearing towards a safe environment.”

Meanwhile, Nakayama Technology Corporation will bring its insulated exterior wall panels, dubbed “Eco-Wall” to the Show. Their services also include free graphic simulations that provide customers with digital previews of their newly renovated structures done using Eco-Wall.

*About the Philippine Participation

The Philippine participation is led by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an export promotions agency of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). For better appreciation of Philippine-made building materials and home lifestyle products, please visit Pavilion No. 1H-03 located near Hall 1 entrance of the East Hall, Tokyo Big Sight.

For more information, please log on to www.citem.gov.ph/jhbs2009 or contact the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) Industrial Goods and Services Division at (+632) 8311268 or 8312201 locals 257 and 227, or email industrial@citem.com.ph.