Trenton Harris, President and CEO of Via Inc. (Via Seating), represented the company at a business roundtable at the White House on Friday, March 30, 2012.

The roundtable discussed building a more sustainable supply chain for Federal government purchasing. This event brought together suppliers and federal representation with private, NGO and academic participants. Sustainability is the umbrella term that factors in strong environmental and social equity policies along with price in making buying decisions.

Via Seating was chosen to join this conversation because of its participation in the GSA/EPA Federal Supplier Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory pilot program.

“As a company we believe it is our responsibility to implement programs and practices that support sustainability’s triple bottom line of people, planet and profit,” said Harris. “This elite pilot requires Via Seating to provide annual corporate-wide greenhouse gas emissions data through 2013 and share the challenges this creates within our organization.”

Through the pilot, Via Seating reports corporate energy data and commits to a company-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal over the next two years. Performance will be measured by a third party auditing team at the conclusion of the pilot.

The pilot was created to assist the federal government in assessing the benefits and challenges small businesses face in inventorying and disclosing GHG emissions data.

Via Seating is distinguishing itself as a leader among small businesses in the area of sustainability. The company buys a third of its energy from renewable sources and has adopted sustainability standards forged in partnerships across the industry.

“We are honored to represent our company and our industry at this important White House event,” said Lee Denny, Via Seating’s sustainability project lead. “We have a strong commitment to sustainability, and are proud of our efforts to be an exemplary corporate citizen in this area.”