How to Shop for Furniture Sustainably
Furniture is one of the biggest investments we make when adding personality to our homes.
Choosing the right additions can provide comfort, elegance and charm, but it’s important that we do it sustainably. More and more people know that making the responsible choices about the products they put in their homes matters for the environment.
What is Sustainable Furniture?
Manufacturers create sustainable furniture using materials that have minimal negative impact on the environment. Sustainable future uses:
- Woods or other materials that come from renewable sources
- Minimal chemicals that can pollute the environment
- Local material or manufacturing to save on transportation
Why is it a Better Choice?
Eco-friendly furniture causes less damage to the environment and makes your home environment safer. When you choose eco furniture made with minimal amounts of chemicals, you’ll get less harmful pollutants released into your home’s air.
5 Ways to Shop for Furniture Sustainably
Cutting back on the amount of furniture we throw away is key to creating more sustainable lifestyles moving forward.
Taking proper care of the items you have in your home is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste and save yourself some money. This will not only help increase the lifespan of the items in your home, but it will also decrease your environmental footprint at the same time.
Buying green is becoming increasingly important. Knowing the origins of the raw materials used by furniture companies gives consumers the power to choose sustainable products and shop with a clearer conscience.
For instance, KUJILA uses sustainable and renewable materials to make high-quality furniture that are meant to last. Our eco-friendly laundry hampers and storage solutions are 100% handmade from bamboo and recycled textiles.
Buying second hand could be the way to reject mass-produced goods. Mass-produced furniture consumes a lot of resources and has a much higher carbon footprint than antiques.
Shopping for pre-loved goods is a greener choice and should not be overlooked.
Buying locally doesn’t just apply to just food. Purchasing furniture comes with a whole host of environmental and economic benefits, including lower carbon emissions. Shipping products overseas is costly and produces a lot of carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.
Ordering from local artisans helps to keep craftsmanship alive and expands the market for local goods.
Small changes in the way we treat furniture at the end of its life can significantly change the eco-efficiency of our items.
Rather than throwing away your old sofa that is structurally sound, consider reupholstering it. It takes one thousand times less CO2 to refurbish a piece than it does to make a new one. Another idea is to repurpose some of your furniture as garden planters or decorative outdoor pieces.
The fast furniture industry is poised to have catastrophic effects on our environment. By making some small decisions to shop more consciously, this can help to not only work towards counteracting the problem, but also provide you with quality, planet-friendly pieces designed to last.
