September 2012
FEATURES
Dear EarthTalk: Are there cer-
tain brands or retail stores where
sustainable furniture options can
be had? And what should I look
for when shopping for greener
furniture?
– W. Cary, Trenton, NJ
While we now opt often for
greener cars, appliances, household
cleaners and food to up the sustain-
ability quotient of our lifestyles,
the furniture we spend all day and
night in close contact with is often
far from eco-friendly.
The vast majority of sofas, chairs,
beds and other upholstered furni-
ture we love to lounge on contain
potentially carcinogenic formalde-
hyde and/or toxic flame retardants
and stain resistors that have been
linked to developmental and hor-
monal maladies.
And much of the wood used in
desks, chairs, tables and the like (as
well as in the frames of upholstered
furniture) comes from unsustain-
ably harvested lumber, which
contributes, to the deforestation of
tropical rainforests.
But today, thanks to increased
consumer awareness and demand,
there are more “green” choices in
furniture available than ever before.
A good place to start the search
for that perfect couch or chair is
the website of the Sustainable Fur-
niture Council (SFC), a non-profit
formed in 2006 to help develop
solid standards and certification
processes within the home furnish-
ings industry.
The organization has become a
leading information source and
network of some 400 “green” fur-
niture makers and related retailers,
suppliers and designers as well as
other non-profits.
Consumers looking for greener
furniture can browse SFC’s mem-
bership list which features contact
information and website links ac-
cordingly.
Buyers beware: Just because a
furniture maker is listed with SFC
doesn’t mean it eschews all chemi-
cals or unsustainably harvested
wood entirely, but only that it is
making strides in that direction.
Consumers should still be knowl-
edgeable about which green fea-
tures they are looking for and/or
which kinds of materials to avoid.
Of course, with something like
furniture you really need to see and
feel it in order to decide whether it
will work in your space.
Eco-conscious consumers making
the rounds at local furniture stores
should keep a few key questions in
mind for salespersons.
Does the piece in question contain
formaldehyde, flame retardants or
stain resistant sprays?
Is the fabric used certified under
the Global Organic Textile Standard
program (which mandates that at
least 70 percent of fibers are de-
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
Thanks to increased consumer awareness and demand, there are more “green”
choices in furniture available than ever before. Pictured: A Savvy Rest organic
crib mattress distributed by Furnature. (Photo courtesy of Savvy Rest)
rived from organic sources and do
not contain chemical dyes or other
additives)?
Is the wood used certified by
the Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) as sustainably harvested?
Does the piece contain any parts or
pieces that come from bamboo or
reclaimed wood or recycled metal
or plastic? And is it easy to disas-
semble into reusable or recyclable
parts if it needs to be replaced down
the line?
If the salesperson doesn’t know
the answers, chances are the piece
does not pass environmental mus-
ter.
Limiting your search to brick-and-
mortar and Internet-based retailers
that specialize in green products is
one way to reduce the amount of
research and self-education needed,
especially because salespersons in
such stores are usually up-to-speed
on the latest and greatest in sustain-
able furnishings.
Some leading national furniture
chains that carry a sizeable inven-
tory of sustainable goods include
Crate and Barrel, Room and Board
and West Elm, but many more
single store eco-friendly furniture
stores exist across the country.
Some leading online green furni-
ture retailers include Eco-Friendly
Modern Living, Furnature, InMod,
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams,
SmartDeco, Southcone and Viesso.
EarthTalk® is written and edited by
Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is
a registered trademark of E - The Envi-
ronmental Magazine (www.emagazine.
com). Send questions to: earthtalk@
emagazine.com.
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