Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 03:08 am
Are you one of those who get lost for hours on end looking at beautiful spaces and gorgeous furniture? Same! But selecting furniture for your home can be a scary task. These are expensive pieces that you can’t really buy on a whim. And there are the particularly important questions: Are they ethically and sustainably made furniture? Are they environmentally sustainable? How can one tell?
In a previous post, we went over how to style your home sustainably. In this post, we briefly go over what sustainable furniture is, and list out some of the epic sustainable furniture brands that you should check out (if you want to. No pressure!) You can also check out the post on where to look for thrifted furniture.
Certifications to help you identify sustainable furniture:
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): This certification ensures that the wood used for furniture comes from responsibly managed forests that protect biodiversity, workers’ rights, and local communities.
- Cradle to Cradle (c2c): This certification evaluates the environmental and social performance of a product across five categories: material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.
- SCS Indoor Advantage Indoor Air Quality: This certification verifies that furniture products meet the low emissions standards of the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Section 01350.
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): This certification covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, trading, and distribution of textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibers.
- What is Sustainable Furniture?
- Best Sustainable Furniture Brands
- More Sustainable Furniture Brands
- 8 // abc carpet and home
- 9 // Anton Doll Holzmanufaktur
- 10 // Atlantic Furniture
- 11 // Avocado
- 12 // Burrow
- 13 // Cisco Home
- 14 // Crate & Barrel
- 15 // EcoBalanza
- 16 // Greenington Fine Bamboo Furniture
- 17 // Haiku Designs
- 18 // Inmod
- 19 // Joybird
- 20 // Lee Industries
- 21 // Made Trade
- 22 // Manchester Wood
- 23 // Medley
- 24 // MIO
- 25 // Myakka
- 26 // Resource Furniture
- 27 // The Joinery
- 28 // Thuma
- 29 // urbangreen furniture
- 30 // Urban Woods
- 31 // Vermont Wood Studios
- 32 // Viesso
- 33 // VivaTerra
- 34 // West Elm – Sustainably Sourced Collection
- Sustainable Furniture Design & Energy Use
- Sustainable Furniture Manufacturers – Certification
What is Sustainable Furniture?
Eco-friendly, minimal waste producing, non-toxic materials – these are all part of sustainability. But what makes furniture sustainably made? It includes the materials used to make it, as well as the making process itself. It includes the entire life cycle of the furniture product, from how it is transported around, stored, etc.
Sustainable furniture is made from recycled or re-purposed materials, or from wood from sustainably managed forests. Materials include wood from easily renewable sources – such as bamboo, which grows quickly and easily.
The wood must also be finished with non-toxic substances that are safe for sustained household use – and do not, obviously, poison us or our pets.
Next comes the making process. The entire process, from start to finish, has to be safe for the environment and the people working on the materials. The first mainly has to do with the carbon emissions that are released during the making of the furniture. Do they pollute the environment? The second: do they harm the workers involved in the manufacturing? How fairly are the workers treated? How are the local communities, ecology and wildlife treated? To study the details, check out if they have certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or other such authorities.
Best Sustainable Furniture Brands
Ok, with those basics out of the way, let’s look at some beautiful, sustainably made furniture! These brands are where you should begin your search:
1 // The Citizenry
The Citizenry is a globally inspired home decor brand that works with master artisans from across the world to create exclusive collections of handmade objects. The Citizenry uses eco-friendly materials such as reclaimed wood, organic cotton, and alpaca wool, and follows fair trade standards. The starting price range for The Citizenry is $35 for pillows, $95 for rugs, $395 for chairs, and $1,495 for sofas.
2 // Parachute
Parachute is a lifestyle brand that offers bedding, bath, and home essentials made from natural and organic fabrics. Parachute also has a line of reclaimed wooden bed frames that are handcrafted in California using 100% reclaimed wood and renewable energy. The starting price range for Parachute is $29 for towels, $89 for sheets, $199 for rugs, and $1,299 for bed frames.
3 // Neighbor
Neighbor is an outdoor furniture brand that designs modular and customizable seating, dining, and lounging pieces using sustainable materials such as recycled plastic, reclaimed wood, and sustainably sourced teak. Neighbor also offers a trade-in program and a repair service to extend the life of their furniture. The starting price range for Neighbor is $99 for chairs, $199 for tables, $399 for sofas, and $599 for sectionals.
4 // Maiden Home
Maiden Home is a luxury furniture brand that offers made-to-order sofas, chairs, tables, and beds that are handcrafted by North Carolina artisans using ethically sourced and non-toxic materials. Maiden Home uses solid hardwood, soy-based foam, recycled steel, and natural fabrics in their furniture, and provides a lifetime guarantee. The starting price range for Maiden Home is $495 for ottomans, $895 for chairs, $1,995 for sofas, and $2,495 for beds.
5 // Inside Weather
Inside Weather is a modern furniture brand that offers personalized and made-to-order furniture that is sustainably made in California. Inside Weather uses memory foam that is free of ozone-depleting byproducts, fabrics that are tested for toxic chemicals, and wood that is FSC and SFC certified. The starting price range for Inside Weather is $99 for pillows, $199 for chairs, $599 for sofas, and $799 for tables.
6 // Kaiyo
Kaiyo is an online marketplace that sells pre-owned furniture from top brands at discounted prices. Kaiyo helps reduce waste and carbon emissions by giving furniture a second life and keeping it out of landfills. Kaiyo also cleans, inspects, and delivers each piece of furniture to the buyer. The starting price range for Kaiyo is $19 for decor, $49 for chairs, $99 for tables, and $199 for sofas.
7 // Sabai
Sabai is a furniture brand that makes comfortable, affordable, and comprehensively sustainable furniture. Sabai uses recycled and natural materials, such as recycled water bottles, FSC certified wood, and organic cotton, and offers a trade-in program and a repair service. Sabai also produces in the US and uses biodegradable and renewable packaging. The starting price range for Sabai is $195 for ottomans, $345 for chairs, $895 for sofas, and $1,095 for sectionals.
More Sustainable Furniture Brands
When you need sustainably sourced furniture and furnishings for your conscious home – your bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen – you should check out these 30 eco-friendly furniture companies (along with some non-toxic wallpaper brands!). They are eco-conscious, responsible towards the planet, and understand the effect that their business has on the environment – and therefore try to minimize harm. Good place to start!
8 // abc carpet and home
Known for: Categorizing their good with their icons to indicate recycled, handmade, etc
9 // Anton Doll Holzmanufaktur
10 // Atlantic Furniture
11 // Avocado
12 // Burrow
Get $75 off your first order of $300 or more through this link at Burrow.
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13 // Cisco Home
Known for: responsibly sourced and manufactured furniture
14 // Crate & Barrel
Known for: expansive line of FSC-certified wood furniture
15 // EcoBalanza
Known for: sofas made from all-natural fabrics
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16 // Greenington Fine Bamboo Furniture
17 // Haiku Designs
Known for: well-designed, high quality home furnishings
18 // Inmod
Known for: furnishings made from bamboo, responsibly sourced wood and recycled materials
19 // Joybird
Known for: using responsibly-sourced wood
20 // Lee Industries
21 // Made Trade
Known for: ethically and sustainably made goods. As of October 1, 2019, all shipping on Made Trade are 100% carbon neutral. How awesome is that!
22 // Manchester Wood
23 // Medley
24 // MIO
Known for: contemporary and conscious furnishings; B-Corp certified
25 // Myakka
Known for: being an ethical furniture company, sources timber from government-managed, sustainable plantations
26 // Resource Furniture
Known for: made to order premium furniture
27 // The Joinery
Known for: modern and traditional high-quality wood furnishings; B-Corp certified
28 // Thuma
Known for: Upcycled, repurposed platform beds
29 // urbangreen furniture
Known for: locally-sourced wood
30 // Urban Woods
Known for: opting for reclaimed or locally sourced, responsibly harvested wood
31 // Vermont Wood Studios
Known for: producing responsibly-harvested wood furnishings, ensuring good working conditions
32 // Viesso
Known for: using natural and recycled materials
33 // VivaTerra
Known for: working with artisan communities in over 20 countries
34 // West Elm – Sustainably Sourced Collection
Known for: sustainably sourced furniture made from reclaimed wood or FSC-certified wood from responsibly harvested sources
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
Sustainable Furniture Design & Energy Use
Finally, you must ask: How was the furniture transported? The entire transportation system of the furniture brand (from moving around raw materials to bringing the finished products to the warehouse and then to your home) involves a lot of energy use. Try to find out what the brand’s standard practices are regarding transportation.
If your furniture is imported from Thailand, for example, know that a tremendous amount of energy was expelled to get that gorgeous bamboo set to you. Some companies do it more efficiently than others, and today, unfortunately, the onus is on the customer to do their due diligence.
There are further ways to increase the sustainability of any piece of furniture: is it a versatile piece (you can sue it as a bed and as a shelf)? Or, perhaps it’s made from wood that is long-lasting, and you will never have to replace it ever? Or it’s made of materials that can be degraded sustainably or made into something else (so it’s essentially “zero waste”)? Can you recycle wood?
Logically, though, to minimize energy use – and to buy the most sustainably made furniture – it makes sense to buy locally-made furniture that’s been made from locally-sourced materials. An added benefit is that you will be supporting local craftspeople and artisans.
Or, the best option? Buy pre-owned furniture. Yes, secondhand! Don’t turn your nose up. Check out the fabulous options at Etsy Reclaimed Furniture.
Sustainable Furniture Manufacturers – Certification
The Cradle to Cradle certification indicates that the product has been “assessed for environmental and social performance across five critical sustainability categories: material health, material reuse, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness.” This feeds into the concept of a circular economy, so the certified product will be either completely “waste free” at the end of its life cycle, or used as raw material to manufacture a new product.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is about…. well, you can watch their video below:
This post was about sustainably made furniture
Furniture is a necessity at home, but the type of furniture we buy will make a massive difference on our impact on the environment. We hope this post on eco-friendly furniture was useful, and that it serves as a good guide for when you’re about to buy the next piece for your home!
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NOTE: All brand photographs belong to the respective brands/businesses.
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