Some people obsess over furniture while others hardly notice its importance in their lives. However making environmentally savvy choices in furnishing our homes or offices can make a big difference to our planet as well as our health.
2 Recycle, repurpose and reclaim – Many home furnishing manufacturers are now using reclaimed wood, recycled plastic, to create interesting products. An old wood
door can be converted into a chic coffee table, et al.3 Buy locally. Doing so will reduce the carbon foot print required to transport the furniture. This will support the local economy, small craftspeople and decrease the environmental cost.
4 Avoid any furniture products created with particle board since formaldehyde – a volatile organic compound (VOC), is used to bind the wood particles. Also avoid VOC laden finishes of paints and varnishes.
5 Ask for natural fibers (silk, linen, cot
ton) for furniture fabrics and eco-friendly foam (soy foam is more widely available) in sofa cushions and pillows.6 Look for furniture thats durable and fixable. Even recyclable materials, when they break, require resources to reprocess and then replace. Readily repaired furniture could easily save you money in the long run, even if its initially more expensive.
7 Buy vintage and second-hand furniture. It requires no additional resources to manufacture and is often locally sourced. It is pre-off-gassed and eases the load on the landfill. Quality vintage furniture can also have excellent resale value.
ECO-FRIENDLY SOURCES OF FURNITURE
Certified sustainable wood: There are sustainable ways to harvest wood which comes from sustainably harvested forests and sustainably harvested tree farms.