You’ve probably heard of fast fashion, but have you heard of fast furniture? The concept of fast furniture is much the same as the fashion version. It’s all about cheaply made items that use low-quality materials and chemicals. They cost next to nothing and only last a short time before being dumped into a landfill. The EPA reports that Americans throw out more than 12 million tonnes of furniture every year. This creates significant environmental issues, not to mention the wasted resources.
Read on to learn how to buy eco friendly furniture, and we’ll show you some brands to look out for.
What is eco friendly furniture?
Eco-friendly or sustainable furniture refers to any furniture made in a way that has the lowest possible impact on the environment. It utilizes materials made from reclaimed, recycled, or sustainable materials that can be recycled or repurposed at the end of their life. In addition, efforts are made to minimize harsh chemicals used in the manufacturing processes. Other resources are also reduced where possible to decrease overall impacts, such as energy and water. There are efforts to keep waste to a minimum by minimizing wastage at the factory to using recycled packaging for transportation.
The brands embracing these concepts offer a more sustainable alternative to fast furniture. And by supporting these brands and buying eco-friendly furniture, you can help turn the tide on fast furniture and help boost our path to a circular economy.
What is eco friendly furniture made of?
Recycled Materials used in furniture
Recycled furniture can contain several different types of recycled materials, including:
- reclaimed or recycled wood,
- recycled glass,
- recycled metals such as iron or aluminum
- recycled fabrics like recycled polyester
Natural sustainable materials used in furniture
Designers also incorporate more sustainable materials such as bamboo, hemp, wool, linen, straw, and food waste fabrics like those from coconut or pineapple leather.
Ethically sourced materials used in furniture
When sourcing materials, eco-friendly brands will follow standards to ensure their materials are ethically sourced, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification.
How do you buy eco friendly furniture?
The First Option for Eco Friendly Furniture
As part of a circular economy approach to living, the best option is always to use what you have or to use what is already made and available. That means asking yourself the questions:
- Do you really need to replace the piece of furniture?
- Can you repurpose it, perhaps freshen it up with a coat of paint or fix the squeaky door?
- Can you buy something second-hand?
Anything you can do to keep materials in their original use is worth the effort. If there is little choice or an item is at the end of its life, buying second-hand or recycled is another great way to support a sustainable and circular future.
A good time to make the switch is when you are renovating your home. In fact, there are many other ways you can create a more eco-friendly home when renovating.
Want to learn more about reducing and reusing? Check out Reduce Reuse Recycle. Ways to get you thinking.
Or, if you would like to learn about the circular economy, check out our article, A Beginners Guide to the Circular Economy.
Where to buy Reclaimed or Second-Hand Furniture?
Buying second-hand or restored furniture is the next best thing to using what you have. You are buying furniture that has been made for a particular purpose and extending its life. There are many places where you can look for second-hand furniture. Try Etsy, eBay, local markets, charity stores, antique stores, or specialist second-hand stores.
You can even check if your favorite brand has a second-hand or pre-loved purchase option. The brand Sabai, described below, offers a trade-in service for your old furniture, or you can pick up a refurbished secondhand piece. Noho also offers pre-loved chairs for sale.
Donate your old furniture
Once you’ve decided that you need new furniture, be sure to donate any pieces that are still in good condition. There’s plenty of places you can take your old furniture to give it a second life. And if you can’t deliver it yourself, check out these ten charities listed by TurboTentant that will pick it up used furniture for free.
Brands making eco friendly furniture
Below, we’ve listed 8 of the best eco-friendly furniture brands that use recycled materials and hold themselves to sustainable practices. Take some time to explore these brands.
Noho
Noho creates earth-friendly designs that look good and feel comfortable. The name noho means to sit, stay, dwell, and live in the language of New Zealand’s indigenous Māori. Embodying a fundamental belief in kinship and connection between humans and the natural world.
They designed furniture that is kind to the planet and that actually looks and feels great.
Noho’s furniture is made from recycled nylon sourced from discarded fishing nets recovered from the ocean and end-of-life carpets. Transforming a waste product into a resource and then into stylish chairs.
Their products are made to last, and they offer a 100-day trial period so you can be sure they fit into your home and your life. Plus, if you are ready for a change, they have designed swappable upholstery toppers in various colors that can give you a whole new look without buying new furniture.
As with many of our innovative brands, noho admit they are not perfect, but they’re doing their best to help turn the tide toward a healthier planet and a better future for everyone.
Sabai
Sabai wants you to be confident that your furniture doesn’t sacrifice your values. They also want it to be affordable and something you want to have in your home.
Their products are made with recycled, upcycled, and natural fabrics, along with FSC-certified wood and CertiPur-US-certified foam. Recycled fabrics range from recycled polyester to recycled velvet with the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and Global Recycling Standard (GRS) certification.
They are committed to using local materials as much as possible. Their sofas are all customizable and made to order, which helps to reduce waste. They also offset all shipping emissions and offer plastic-free shipping.
Sabai offers a service for you to trade in your old furniture or pick up a refurbished secondhand piece for yourself. Plus, they recommend you repair your sofa instead of replacing it, offering slipcovers, new cushion covers, new legs, and cushion inserts.
Vivaterra
VivaTerra means “living earth,” a message representing their dedication to harmonizing with nature. They have a passionate belief that there is no need to compromise natural resources or environmental health in pursuit of a beautiful home.
Based in the USA, the company produces globally inspired modern furniture and home decor. They incorporate sustainability by using recycled materials in their products, including recycled glass, vintage fabrics, salvaged metal, and reclaimed wood. Their sofas are filled using a renewable, soy-based BiOH polyol core with a recycled fiberfill made from recycled plastic bottles. They also have indoor and outdoor pieces made from reclaimed wood from recycled railroad ties.
When not using recycled materials, VivaTerra uses natural products and responsible FSC-certified wood. Plus, they support artisan and fair trade organizations whose products are often made by hand under healthy working conditions and fair wages, and they help to build sustainable communities.
Polywood
When you buy POLYWOOD’s furniture, you’re doing your part to help the planet. They take disposable plastic, which is extremely slow to degrade and would otherwise end up in a landfill, transforming it into beautiful outdoor furniture.
POLYWOOD lumber is made using a proprietary blend of plastics, including HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) from landfill-bound and ocean-bound plastics. They recycle nearly 400,000 plastic containers per day in their in-house recycling facility.
Thirty years ago, Polywood was one of the first to create outdoor furniture from recycled plastic materials. They are committed to stopping plastics from ever reaching our oceans. To help, they have expanded their recycling process to incorporate globally sourced ocean-bound plastic in addition to locally sourced materials. In addition, 99% of their factory waste is recycled back into their manufacturing process.
They transform all of this waste into beautiful outdoor furniture.
Emeco
Emeco makes quality, lasting pieces that fit into your home and your life, and they use recycled materials.
They’ve been making chairs since 1944. A perfect example is the Navy Chair made for sailors in the American Navy during World War II. They’ve been recycling aluminum that long as well—using salvaged aluminum and processing it to make it even stronger. The Navy chair, still available today, forms the backbone of every chair Emeco makes.
Today, they create many different designs using a range of recycled materials, including recycled aluminum and recycled PET. They have invented a couple of new eco-friendly furniture materials, including reclaimed wood polypropylene, a mix of polypropylene scrap and discarded wood and sawdust from lumberyards, and eco concrete, made from recycled materials, glass bottles, and calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA). In addition, all their wood is locally reclaimed and sustainably harvested.
With all its furniture made in the USA, Emeco keeps its own impact low with energy-efficient lighting, renewable electricity, and water-saving techniques. Because aluminum is so recyclable, there is very little waste, and their shipping materials are 100% recyclable.
Finally, with a lifetime warranty on their Navy chairs and up to 7 -years on other products, and they provide detailed care instructions to help make your furniture last.
Mater
Mater describes itself as a conscious and ethical brand with a strong design focus. They create high-end furniture using methods that support people, local craft, and the environment.
Founded in Copenhagen in 2006, they wanted to inspire sustainable thinking from the very beginning.
They use the UN Sustainable Development Goals to drive their innovation and design.
“All our products must be designed to address one or more of the sustainable development goals. If this is not possible, we will not produce it.” Henrik Marstrand, Founder
Henrik Marstrand, Founderof Mater
They are doing pretty well against these goals. In 2020 they upcycled 19 tons of plastic waste from the oceans, helped large companies make something valuable from their waste, recovered 14 tonnes of CO2, and planted 6.25 new trees. They use many recycled materials to make their products, including:
- Industrial plastic waste from the production of large corporations,
- coffee shell waste, a bi-product from coffee bean roasting, processed using their ground-breaking production technique
- discarded fishing nets,
- upcycled mango wood saved from being burnt, upcycled aluminum,
- textiles made from recycled plastic
- and spent grain waste.
Plus, they use only FSC-certified wood for the wooden products in their collection.
On top of that, for every tree they harvest, they plant a new one.
The Wrap
There are many ways that you can support the circular economy and the recycling industry. The next time you are looking to buy new furniture, take a moment to consider your options. As we always say, first ask yourself whether you really need to buy something new. If you do, then buying eco-friendly furniture is a great option.
Why not tag this article and come back and check out the best eco-friendly furniture brands when you need to buy?
If you are looking for more advice on changing your shopping habits and supporting the recycling industry, check out our other buy recycled guides. Here are a few of our favorites.
