How Eco-Friendly Is The Furniture In Your Home?

*This is a collaborative post on eco-friendly furniture

When you hear advice about living an eco-friendly lifestyle it’s usually something to do with cutting your energy costs, changing your diet, or using less plastic. But have you thought about the environmental impact of the furniture in your home?

If we want to be better for the planet, we need to think about the carbon footprint of all of the things that we buy and furniture is one that people always overlook. The thing is, if you are buying cheap, mass-produced furniture that is made in a factory halfway across the world, it’s likely to have a big carbon footprint and it’s probably made with unsustainable materials. The good news is, there are plenty of sustainable alternatives out there. Here are a few ways to find sustainable furniture for your next home renovation project.

Check The Materials

We all know that plastic bottles or wrappers are bad for the environment but there is a lot of hidden plastic that we don’t consider. A lot of fabrics contain polyester, for example, so you need to be careful when buying upholstered furniture. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked and people don’t realise that they are buying unsustainable furniture. Ideally, you should pay a bit more for furniture that isn’t made from plastics.

Solid wood is one of the most sustainable materials, as long as it is ethically sourced. You don’t always have that guarantee, so make sure to do some research into the source of the wood before you buy anything. You can also find some great furniture made from recycled materials, especially reclaimed wood, which is always a more eco-friendly choice.

Buy Local And Handmade

If you buy cheap furniture, it’s probably made halfway across the world in a big factory. That means a lot of emissions generated by the factory, as well as the emissions created by transporting it across the world. If you want to be more eco-friendly, it’s much better to buy local, handmade furniture instead. There are some great businesses, like the Painted Furniture Company, making handcrafted furniture right here in the UK. If you buy from these local companies, you can support a small business and reduce your impact on the environment at the same time. The quality of handmade furniture will also be much better than something that is mass-produced in a factory, which means that it will last much longer.

Upcycle Second Hand Furniture

Upcycling second-hand furniture is an eco-friendly option that helps you manage your renovation budget at the same time. There are so many great pieces of wooden furniture in charity shops or antique shops, which are still in good condition. As long as the wood is solid, it doesn’t matter if they’re a bit rough around the edges. Sanding them down and painting them is a simple job and there are some great online tutorials to help you learn how to reupholster chairs. With a little bit of work, you can get some amazing furniture without spending much at all, and it’s much better for the environment.

Next time you are renovating your home, think carefully about the environmental impact that your furniture has.