History of Green Furniture Design
The term "green furniture" can be used interchangeably with "sustainable furniture" and "eco-friendly furniture." These terms recognize that there was minimal impact on the environment to make and sell the furniture. In some ways, an argument can be made that green furniture has been around for hundreds of years. The most green way to obtain furniture was when people built their own pieces, in the old days. Anything purchased second-hand is a green way to get furniture as well. However, in today's society, green furniture has a short history. Does this Spark an idea?
Sustainable Furnishings Council
In 2006, the Sustainable Furnishings Council was created. Its goals and reasons for forming include to assist furniture companies in adopting good practices and to raise awareness of the sustainability issue. The council currently has 325 members with a presence throughout the entire country. The four steps the association is trying to promote are to minimize carbon emissions, minimize waste stream pollutants, avoid using non-recyclable content and avoid using primary materials from unsustainable sources.
Carbon Footprint
"Green" is a widely used term to describe all things environmentally friendly. For furniture, the demand for green items has increased in recent years as more consumers care about their own carbon footprint. As explained in the Sustainable Furnishings Council website, "Your carbon footprint is the direct effect your actions and practices have on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. Probably the biggest contributors to the furniture industry's footprint are transportation and electricity demands in manufacturing and retail establishments."
Concept
It's important to understand that the term green is used even when the smallest details in furniture were altered. Some furniture can be considered green simply because low VOC paint was used to paint it. And although every little bit counts, most paints today are low VOC, so this detail is small. If you live on the East Coast and buy a piece of furniture from the West Coast simply because of this detail, you are doing more damage to the environment than if you had just bought furniture that is manufactured and sold near your home.
Shopping
When shopping for green furniture that is made of wood, look for recycled wood. If recycled wood is not an option, then bamboo is environmentally friendly because it isn't a threatened wood. The fewer miles traveled to get the wood or the products to you, the better it is for the environment. Furniture with paints and stains made with water-based finishes and low VOCs are better for the environment.
Future
With an increased number of consumers following the state of our environment and the impact their choices have on it, the demand for green furniture will continue to rise. More and more furniture manufacturers are focusing on the use of environmentally friendly materials, and hope to enter the green furniture market soon.
Tags: green furniture, environmentally friendly, Furnishings Council, Sustainable Furnishings, Sustainable Furnishings Council
