Preserving resources, reducing emissions and crafting better, greener products, eco-friendly furniture companies provide people with sustainable furniture options of all shapes and sizes, all designed to decrease carbon footprints while building healthier, happier homes. The use of sustainable furniture saw a swift upturn in popularity during the early 2000s, resulting in significant industry growth and the wide-spread availability of eco-friendly furniture. Today, eco-friendly furniture includes both indoor and outdoor options. Including reclaimed wood furniture, sustainable mattresses crafted with advanced technologies, and even patio furniture made from recycled materials, green products feature heightened stability and durability that create an easily maintainable and cleaner living space.

What is Sustainable Furniture?

The goals of ecological goods and eco-friendly furniture materials culminate in the function and purpose each piece serves to their eventual owner. However, environmentally-safe furniture goes beyond the materials used to make it; the entirety of the manufacturing process plays a critical role in crafting sustainable furniture. The use of natural resources in the process of crafting the furniture and the environmental impact of the supply chain conforming to current green standards ensures an eco-friendly end product.

Regardless of how green and clean the manufacturing process may be, it won't matter if the product requires constant replacement; this means that not only must the furniture be sustainable in the environmental sense, but as well the practical.

Reclaimed Wood Furniture

Crafted from ecological sources of recycled timber, including old factories, warehouses, houses, barns, industrial sites and other structures, reclaimed wood furniture gained a semblance of prominence in the late 1970s and the early 1980s. The industry remained relatively stagnant until a slow growth began in the mid-90s with an increase in modern deconstruction practices over traditional demolition, leading to significant industry growth that has persisted through today.

Reclaimed furniture is made from a variety of wood species. For instance, commonly used to produce eco-friendly furniture due to its natural ability to resist mold and insects, longleaf pine once acted as a dominant building source during the Industrial Revolution in the United States of America from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s due to their abundance and durability; however, a maturity rate of 200-400 years makes cultivation unrealistic. However, deconstructing old structures built from this wood and recrafting the material into new products makes highly durable furniture that positively impacts the earth.

Today, reclaimed wood's popularity stems from a rise in green living, availability of unique designs and patterns, and a combination of heightened strength, stability and endurance in many cases.

Sustainable Mattresses

When considering sustainable mattress options, it’s important to look at both the materials that are used as well as the manufacturing process. For instance, following Rockefeller's philosophy that if it was created, it was created with purpose and should, therefore, be used to its fullest extent, eco-friendly furniture companies may utilize the vast majority of the materials they gather when crafting sustainable mattresses, resulting in less waste.

Many industry leaders utilize natural and environmentally-sourced products, including latex, wool, and cotton in crafting sustainable mattresses, creating sets with the same comfort standard of traditional bedding (or even better!), with a lower environmental impact.

In constructing renewable mattresses like the M3 Sleep System by Bedgear, manufacturers utilize modular designs with glue, staples and zippers over traditional stitching methods to drastically reduce the cost, while simultaneously increasing the ease of recycling the materials.

Unlike traditional mattresses, some sustainable mattresses include replaceable and recyclable individual components. They may also make components that can be cleaned and washed, providing the ability to maintain the bed more effectively, extending its overall life expectancy.

Patio Furniture Made of Recycled Materials

Over the years, the growing desire for eco-friendly furniture resulted in wide-spread availability of recycled plastic patio furniture in numerous shapes, sizes and styles.

By weight, recycled plastic patio furniture contains an average of up to 90% post-consumer materials; these materials are made several ways to create a category of products known as polywood, a highly durable chief asset in crafting durable patio furniture made of recycled materials. These materials are used to crafted benches, dining sets, Adirondack chairs, deep seating sets with cushions and outdoor accessories for storage cabinets and trash receptacles. For instance, a type of polywood called HDPE, high density polyethylene, can be used to craft outdoor seating and more.

Providing a long-term solution for the environmentally conscious without sacrificing on stability or design, plastic patio chairs and plastic patio tables can withstand rain, snow, shine and even seasonal temperature shifts, although proper care such as the use of patio covers should be maintained to ensure longevity.

Sustainable furniture, for both inside and outside your home, built by eco-friendly furniture companies offers substantial earthly benefits to the environmentally conscious. With the drastic rise in popularity plus the advancements in technology, choosing the green option won't result in inadequate comfort, functionality or style. In fact, you may find just the opposite to be true.