Oct 30 2007
Maria Yee, Inc. will reduce its customers' shipping costs by 40 percent after the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) agreed to place the company's rapidly renewable BambooTimbre(TM) products in a lower cost freight class.
"Statistics show consumers want to buy eco-friendly products but can be deterred by the higher price," said Peter Yee, chief executive officer of Maria Yee, Inc. "We are here to help our customers realize their dream homes. We make it a goal to ensure our EcoLuxury(TM) products are attainable for green living."
Maria Yee's efforts to make its EcoLuxury products more accessible addresses a consumer concern highlighted in a recent report by The NPD Group -- a leading provider of consumer and retail information. The report stated 62 percent of consumers surveyed want to purchase eco-friendly products but are unwilling to pay substantially more for them.
The survey also reported nearly two-thirds of consumers believe it's important to purchase environmentally friendly products; a statistic confirmed by Maria Yee's own increasing sales of BambooTimbre products. In 2007, sales of BambooTimbre home furnishings have risen nearly 50 percent over the same period last year, according to Yee.
"Developing innovative products to help safeguard the environment has always been a priority at Maria Yee, and by the steady increase in sales of BambooTimbre products it is clearly becoming a priority for consumers," Yee said. "The NMFTA's decision definitely helps consumers reach their green living goals."
BambooTimbre, developed as an alternative to hardwood for luxury furniture, exceeds steel in tensile strength and releases no harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. It is made 100 percent with Moso bamboo, which, unlike hardwood that can take 60 years or more to mature, is harvested in a five-year cycle.
Maria Yee petitioned the NMFTA to segregate BambooTimbre products from other bamboo items due to the material's weight and density. According to NMFTA's National Classification Committee (NCC), most traditional, lightweight bamboo products are shipped in a more costly freight class because of the fragile nature of the goods and the inability to stack heavier freight on top.
The NCC instituted a unique number for BambooTimbre and approved the classification request, which will go into effect Dec. 22, 2007. Maria Yee's proactive effort provides more innovative, ecological choices in home furnishings.