Sustainable Furniture: Understanding What You’re Buying
I know that it can be overwhelming shopping for furniture and trying to find the perfect pieces to fit your room. Scale, balance, style, and of course budget have always been key factors. Today though, we need to add another important consideration — sustainability. Being mindful of where the item comes from, how it’s manufactured, and what it’s composed of is vital information that needs to be considered for our planet's wellbeing and our own. Let’s face it, we are living in a climate crisis and it’s time to rethink how we purchase products and be mindful of what we are putting in our homes and how it’s affecting the greater world around us.
Sustainability is definitely a buzzword today. In fact, I hear our 9 year old daughter refer to it when we’re shopping! We see it being used in relation to the manufacturing of items including, fashion, and personal care items to name only a few of many. As we continue to see the ravaging effects of climate change throughout the world, more and more people have begun to ask questions and want products that are better for the environment and ultimately themselves. This disconnection to the environment has begun to erode and an ever increasing number of consumers are demanding sustainable alternatives, including myself. I want to know that what I’m recommending to clients is a safe, well made product. What constitutes being a sustainable product?
The concept of sustainability has evolved over time. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “sustainability is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.” Through my own research, I would like to elaborate further to include that sustainability should demand that all people be given the right to live, work, and have economically secure lives without destroying the people and welfare of the planet. Applying this concept to furniture products indicates they should be designed in a way that the items can be reused, disassembled, fixed and made of materials that are regulated as safe for the environment and free of harmful chemicals that can hurt workers and the environment. Taking it one step further, these items should be manufactured paying the worker a fair wage to make them economically viable.
This can all sound rather overwhelming. Particularly when the information isn’t always easy to find and clear.It’s hard enough trying to be mindful of the items that we’re buying that are right for the space and tick off the budget box, now we need to be mindful of sustainability!! That’s why I’m here to help. Through research I’ve developed a set of sustainability criteria that you should consider when shopping for furniture.
Let’s take a sofa as a starting point. Depending on the style of the sofa, it can have many different features that are important to understand. It’s not just what’s on the outside of the sofa that counts, the entirety of the piece matters; including where it comes from. With all of its components, it's a great piece of furniture to use when delving into questions about sustainability. Many of the factors that should be considered when determining if it's sustainable or not, can also be applied to other pieces of furniture: chairs, tables , beds etc. Here are key points to get you started on your personal sustainability furniture shopping mission:
Lumber: Wood is a key component of most furniture including sofas. Good quality sofas should have a kiln dried hardwood frame. That’s why it is of vital importance to understand where the wood comes from. All wood should be FSC certified. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a world wide non-government organization that ensures that the wood comes from sustainable managed forests. This FSC stamp helps to ensure that our furniture is sustainable.
Metal: Metals are a key component to sofas and other furniture. In the case of sofas, it's important to inquire if the springs are made using recycled metals. This helps to ensure that fewer metal ends up in landfill. Think of all of the furniture that incorporates metal into its design and function? Stools, tables, chairs- incorporating recycled metal components is a great sustainable initiative.
Cushions: The composition of cushions is a key ecological consideration. For years, cushions have been made using solely petroleum based products: polyurethane as well substandard foams can be produced using other harsh chemicals. Since 2008, a certification by CertiPUR-US, a non-government organization, has been used by many companies to indicate that the foam is free of harsh chemicals. Today more and more manufacturers are choosing to use more eco-friendly options for their cushions including a soy based foam or using recycled fibers as fill.
Fabrics: It’s important to understand fabrics, how they are manufactured, which type is a better fit for your required application and which are more sustainable than others. Looking for the OEKO-TEX symbol is a great starting point. OEKO-TEX is a registered trademark that indicates a fabric or leather is free of harmful chemicals. GOTS certification is another one to be aware of. It is the Global Organic Textile Standard. Looking for a fabric that is recycled and finding the right type of fabric for your application is another great tip to making a sustainable decision. Performance fabrics that are treated with non-toxic chemicals such as crypton are a great alternative for a busy family. Sometimes these fabrics are more expensive in the short term, but are a more sustainable option because they are easy to clean and look good for years to come.
Manufacturing: It’s important to consider where the piece of furniture is manufactured. The further it comes from, the less sustainable the product is. In some cases, the frames and components come from overseas, but it’s assembled in Canada. It’s important to ask these questions before purchasing.
Stain & Finish: In the case of sofas, most sofas have minimal exposed wood, but in the case that it does and when considering other wood furniture options it’s important to inquire about the finish that is used. It should be a non VOC product or at the very least a low VOC product - made without lead, mercury and heavy metals and water based.
Ability to Refinish and Fix: It’s important to consider if a furniture piece can be fixed or finished in the future to prolong its life. Make sure to ask these questions prior to purchasing. Otherwise these pieces end up in landfill over time. Look for solid wood pieces, and if it’s veneered, it should be a thicker veneer.
Having the information to make informed decisions is the first step towards making more sustainable furniture decisions when purchasing. Through my research of many of the upholstery and furniture manufacturers that I have purchased from, I’ve learned that while some are transparent and clear with their environmental policies, there are a lot of other companies that have a long way to go. In fact, some sadly, haven’t even started. I have hope that as more consumers demand sustainable manufacturing practices from these furniture companies, they will all be forced to rethink their practices and create even better standards. So the next time that you go and purchase your next piece of furniture, do your due diligence and remember to ask all of these questions. In doing so you will feel rest assured that the item you’ve purchased will be enjoyed for years to come with minimal impact on both the environment, your life and others.