Sustainable furniture for your home
Selina Emmanouil, 6 May 2020
Especially in times of climate change, buying sustainable furniture can help protect the environment. And this is how it works.
The home is the haven of peace in everyday life, and furniture also plays an important role. Furniture consumption in the West is growing. Instead of focusing on quality and longevity, people often buy cheap furniture of poor quality and dispose of it at the next move for the sake of simplicity. However, we can contribute to the current trend of environmental protection by buying multifunctional, durable and, above all, sustainably produced furniture. But what is sustainable furniture?
What does sustainable actually mean?
Saving resources and using them sensibly are the goals of sustainable production. In furniture production, sustainable means, for example, doing without wood from the primeval forest and instead using wood from sustained, national forestry. Solid wood is often used for the production of pieces of furniture. Natural raw materials that are responsibly obtained and processed, as well as recycled materials and textiles from controlled, organic cultivation are also sustainable. The manufacturers of ecological furniture also pay attention to fair environmental and social conditions, i.e. low CO2 emissions in production and distribution as well as fair working conditions in the manufacture of the products.
Live healthy with sustainable furniture
Away from mindless mass consumption, towards a conscious furnishing style - eco-design. Sustainability is increasingly becoming a selling point with customers. However, there is still no law on what constitutes sustainable production. Various eco-labels offer orientation when buying sustainable furniture. To be awarded such a label, manufacturers must have their products inspected and certified. However, not all products are certified. Smaller manufacturers, in particular, cannot afford this inspection, so it is worth asking carefully about products without a seal. The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label, for example, helps you to recognise eco-quality. The label guarantees that nature and people are treated fairly and responsibly for the manufacturing process. So it's worth spending a little more money when buying a new piece of furniture. Not only will you be helping to protect the environment, but you will also be getting high-quality, long-lasting products.
This is what a sustainable piece of furniture does
If you want to contribute to climate protection with the purchase of new furniture, then it is best to orientate yourself on the following tips that sustainable furniture should provide:
It should be made from renewable raw materials
It should not contain any pollutants
The wood should come from a sustainable, national forestry industry
Long delivery routes should be avoided
It should be durable
It should only be treated with natural glazes, oils and waxes.
It should be recyclable or easily disposable.
Where to buy sustainable furniture
Have you recently moved and want to fill your home with great new furniture? We've put together a few tips on where you can buy sustainable furniture.