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The popularity of Eco-friendly and sustainable furniture is growing exponentially. By manufacturing and using sustainable furniture, end users and companies can ensure their minimal carbon footprint. On the contrary, conventional furniture and fixture significantly add up to the pollution. This is because they are made of toxic and non-biodegradable materials.
Consumers are now more aware and cautious about the environment. But it’s crucial to understand all the relevant facts to make a well-aware choice. We are here to provide information on procuring sustainable furniture and its advantages over traditional furniture.
What are the characteristics of sustainable furniture?
Sustainable furniture is also known as green furniture. They are made with reclaimed wood, bamboo, and other natural materials. There is no involvement of toxic chemicals in their production. Locally manufactured materials are prominently used to prevent carbon emissions due to transportation. Manufacturing companies also ensure the usage of non-toxic and minimal packaging material.
One more specialty of eco-friendly furniture is it can be reused and disassembled multiple times during its lifetime. Being in trend, you can easily get green furniture in your budget and according to your individual style.
Why choose sustainable furniture over traditional furniture?
Green furniture is not only planet-friendly furniture. It also creates a safer and healthier environment inside your home. The VOC (volatile organic compounds) released through traditional furniture, carpets, paints, and building materials in your home causes allergies, asthma, and migraine. People who spend more time indoors are more at risk.
Eco-friendly furniture is free of any toxic chemicals like VOC. Thus you have one pollutant to worry about in your home.
How to find the right type of sustainable furniture?
Unfortunately, people turn a sensible initiative like eco-friendly furniture into a fad. And companies from all over the world jump into the bandwagon of promoting their furniture as eco-friendly. Thus you need to conduct deep research to find the right kind of sustainable furniture.
One of the surest ways is to find out about the organizations which are certifying green furniture. Also, make a list of qualification criteria for these certifications.
What questions are to raise while shopping for sustainable furniture?
The following questions can serve as a checklist for you while shopping for green furniture:-
- Is it manufactured in another country or region? If yes, then it loses its purpose of being environment-friendly.
- Durable and sustainable materials are used in manufacturing or not? Are there any harmful chemicals used?
- Are there any toxic materials or chemicals used while manufacturing and finishing the furniture?
- Are there any more durable and less toxic materials than wood, bamboo, stone, or porcelain?
What terms and certifications to check while purchasing sustainable furniture?
Following are the most reputed and trusted certifications provided to sustainable furniture:-
- FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certification
- GREENGUARD Certified
- Zero Waste to Landfill
- Green Label Plus
- Cradle to Cradle (C2C)
- SBD (Sustainable by Design)
- LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified
- Green Housekeeping Seal of Approval
- Low VOC
- Eco3Home
- Rediscovered Wood Certification, Rainforest Alliance
- Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)
Additional benefits of sustainable furniture
Apart from being eco-friendly, sustainable furniture offers other lucrative benefits as well. You can get all types of designs options in green furniture. Manufacturing companies offer rustic, contemporary, sleek, and other popular styles to go with everyone’s taste. This furniture is highly cost-effective. This is because they are made up of long-lasting and less costly sustainable materials.
Being free from harmful and toxic chemicals, green furniture provides health benefits as well.
Wrapping up!
The future belongs to green furniture. With the increasing level of pollution, sustainable living won’t be the choice anymore. Opting for eco-friendly furniture can be your first step towards generating minimal carbon footprints. Remember to ask the right questions and checking the necessary criteria before buying sustainable furniture.
