Recipe for Green: Wooden Furniture

Cut through the green-washing! What to know before you buy “eco-friendly” furniture

Every furniture company wants to label its furniture “eco-friendly,” but only the cradle-to-cradle manufacturers truly deserve to hang this moniker on their products. Being green encompasses the production process from start (where you select your materials and how you put them together) to finish (what impact the product has on the environment once it’s made). Environmental Language, for example, is one such company. In our interview, company founder and designer Jill Salisbury gives tips on what to look for when shopping for “green” wooden furniture. She also shows us how eco-friendly furniture is made by offering up her recipe for the Lynx Side Table.

Tips for Buying Green Furniture
The first thing to do when you see a piece of furniture labeled “green” is to ask: How so? If the sales rep can’t explain the why, that’s likely your answer. Still if you really love the piece, seek out someone higher in the company. If the answers hit some or all of the criteria in our How to Buy Green Guide, then go for it. Even if the piece is not green enough, you’ve still shown that company that environmentally aware furniture practices are important to its customers.

Even if you cannot find someone to explain the furniture’s manufacturing process, you can still make a green determination. When looking to buy green case goods, for example, the wood and the finish are the two most important considerations. Below, the qualities (in order of importance) that should help you determine whether a product passes the environmentally friendly test.

Wood

Reclaimed or recycled means you saved an existing tree from being cut down.

FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) means the trees come from responsibly managed forests.

Highly renewable means these woods, such as beech, bamboo and lyptus, replenish themselves at a rapid rate.

Local production means the item took less energy to make and created less pollution when transporting to you.

Finishes and Adhesives

Low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) ensures your furniture isn’t emitting harmful fumes. Water-based products have low VOCs.

No Formaldehyde means this toxin is not found in the product’s core material, adhesives or finish. Stay away from core materials like MDF since formaldehyde is a main ingredient.

Written by Anne E. Collins

Source: elledecor.com