Green Furniture Guide

A lot of green furnishings are of the specialty/high-end variety, like this chair constructed out of a bathtub by Reddish Studio.

However, there are also cost effective ways to go green.

1. Certified sustainable wood

The world needs more trees, not less, so practices that lead to deforestation aren’t any good. Wood from sustainably harvested forests, sustainably harvested tree farms, and reclaimed wood are the main sources. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and its largest forest certifier, the Rainforest Alliance, is the most widely used standard for sustainable forestry.

2. Furniture made with reclaimed materials

Reclaimed wood usually comes from old furniture, houses, or other built things that are ready for some friendly reincarnation, from flawed wood, or from scraps from a factory that makes other stuff. The Rainforest Alliance has a Rediscovered Wood Certification label to look for.

3. Bamboo

Bamboo represents a family of grasses that range in size from tiny to huge, and in color from lime green to maroon stripes. It is incredibly fast-growing and versatile and has become the unofficial poster material of environmental designers and builders. Bamboo can be flattened into flooring, molded into furniture, pressed into veneers, sliced up to make window blinds, or hey, you can just build your whole house out of it.

4. Recycled/recyclable metal and plastic

Since both metal and plastic are recyclable, at least in theory, these can be considered eco-friendly materials for furniture. Recycled materials require less processing and fewer resources, and help support the market for recycled materials.

5. Recyclable and easily disassembled

Good eco-friendly furniture should lend itself to easy repair, disassembly, and recycling.

6. Look for furniture that’s durable and fixable

One of the most important but often overlooked aspects of green products (and this definitely goes for furniture) is durability. If something is tough and/or can be readily repaired, this lessens the chance that it’ll end up in the landfill, and could easily save you money in the long run, even if it’s initially more expensive.

7. Low-toxicity furniture

When you buy a piece of furniture, bring it home, and set it down in a room, it doesn’t just sit there. No matter what it’s made out of, chances are, it’s offgassing (or releasing substances into the air). Greenguard is a certification which ensures furniture is low toxicity. Also, look for furniture that is untreated or treated with natural substances, like natural wood finishes, or naturally tanned leather. Organic cotton is also less likely to be treated with toxic stuff.

8. Buy vintage

With all the slick, mod, “eco” brands jumping into the market it can be hard to keep in mind that pre-owned goods can be the most green purchase of all. Vintage and second-hand and furniture requires no additional resources to manufacture, is often locally sourced (cutting down on transportation), is pre-offgassed and eases the load on the landfill. Quality vintage furniture can also have excellent resale value (sometimes selling for the same price it was bought) which certainly can’t be said for most new furniture, green or otherwise.

9. Buy local

Just like the food on the dinner plate, we might be amazed how many miles the constituent parts of a piece of furniture might have had to travel in order to reach us. If possible, source furniture close to home. This will support the local economy, small craftspeople, and decrease the environmental cost of shipping (not to mention the other kind of cost).

10. What to do with it when you’re over it

We can’t promise we’re going to like something forever or that our furnishing needs won’t change. When it’s time to bid a chair, table, bed, or dresser farewell, make sure it goes to a good home. Sell it on Craigslist, eBay, or the local paper, give it away via Freecycle, or include it in your next yard sale.

For lots more info on green furniture, visit TreeHugger's How to Green Your Furniture Guide where I got these tips.