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Use Recycled Materials

Direct recycling in furniture can simply mean sourcing, repairing, and reselling older pieces in their original state as with antiques. Indirect can mean repurposing such as taking old case pieces and rebuilding doors and drawers to suit modern configurations, or taking non-furniture items such as wheels, door frames, or grapevine roots and fashioning furniture pieces from them. Lastly, recycling can also mean seeking out resources for reclaimed lumber from fencing, flooring, structural supports and the like that can be used in place of new materials. It can provide an appealing vintage charm with a great eco story and the solidity and utility of new construction. And it can make a big difference. Recycling aluminum produces only 5% of the harmful emissions of new production.

Use Good Wood

There are any number of positive choices, starting with certified lumber from carefully managed forests. FSC certification is the gold standard with an extremely rigorous process to ensure that wood is sourced from only carefully managed forests and with representatives in the field that ensure that companies are in compliance. SFI is another, though less rigorous, certification program. Another approach is to emphasize wood types that are fast-growing, renewable resources commercially harvested for use in a variety of industries. Such species include Mango and Bamboo when they are cultivated in circumstances that have not encouraged forest conversion. Non-timber materials such as water hyacinth, which is invasive in waterways throughout the tropics and needs to be cleared, are always a good choice. Avoid species known to be threatened such as new Teak and Mahogany and/or subtropical hot spots of the world known for endangered forests and illegal logging such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and South America unless you have proven certification.

Use Water-Based Finishes

Sealers present environmental issues because of solvents they contain to keep them liquid in the can which are commonly petroleum or synthetic-based containing high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and classified as toxic or hazardous waste. Varnish is the most problematic, followed by lacquer and shellac. Water-based sealers are environmentally preferable, and they are still being improved. Most low-VOC clear finishes use primarily water as a solvent, and acrylic and urethane as binders (the same as lacquer and varnish). Because water-based sealers use fewer harsh solvents, petroleum derivatives or other toxic substances, they avoid the environmental damage and pollution associated with the manufacture of these ingredients. Clean up requires water instead of harsh solvents that affect indoor air quality. Water-based sealers also dry very quickly, allowing you to apply many coats in a day, reducing exposure to harmful vapors. They may be more expensive and require retraining to achieve the same finish results, but are ultimately a significant improvement over alternatives with VOC’s as low as 50g/L compared to the EPA’s required limit of 350 to 450 for other sealers. Other good choices include natural waxes and whey-based finishes.

Reduce/Recycle Packaging

The U.S. produces over 250 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW), trash and garbage to the public, of which approximately 30% is packaging and only 30% is recycled. That recycling, however, prevents the release of 49 million metric tons of carbon into the air through combustion, the equivalent of 39 million cars annually. The lesson? Because of the bulk of individual pieces and the need for protection across multiple shipping points, the furniture industry generates a high level of packaging waste. Minimize the amount wherever possible, use blanket wrap transport, recycled or easily recyclable materials, and recycle ALL of the waste packaging in your operation.

Rent, Lease, or Buy Used Equipment

Essentially, this is the recycling approach to manufacturing. While not the most glamorous strategy, using existing equipment instead of buying new can save money and reduce the use up of raw materials, the build up of harmful emissions, and the fill up of waste sites.

Minimize E-waste

Discarded computers and cell phones is a growing environmental concern. Much is shipped abroad illegally for disassembly by workers with little protection against mercury and other toxic substances. Keep electronics as long as possible, resisting the temptation to upgrade just for the sake of novelty. Most communities also have recycling programs through Goodwill/Salvation Army centers, schools, shelters, and put these items to good use and support worthwhile causes. Your local waste management facility should have an electronics disposal program that keeps these machines out of landfills.

Choose Renewable Energy

Examine options within your community for purchasing energy from suppliers that produce the highest percentage available of their power from water, wind, solar, or other clean sources. You may also support clean energy through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s), a transferable commodity intended to support the development of green energy sources by providing income indirectly to them. Currently, there is only one non-profit U.S. organization that sells RECs, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which was instrumental in starting the market for RECs with their Green Tag product. They use the profits from Green Tags to build community solar and wind projects and to fund watershed restoration.

Form a Green Team

Recruit a cross-departmental group within your organization that meets regularly to brainstorm ideas, research options, create a plan, establish measurable goals, and monitor results. Make sure the lead representative is a member of your Executive team, and make the topic one of your regularly reviewed agenda items. Remember, what is not measured does not happen.

Raise Your Voice

As the manufacturer, you have tremendous power over what suppliers source for you to produce your products. Don’t wait for your customers to tell you. Tell suppliers what you want, and give business to those that provide it. Then publicize it to your current and potential customers with advertising, in-showroom signage, tags, even trade events when new collections or products are available. You can also exercise your power with our government. Legislation is being introduced constantly here and abroad to reduce or at least curb the expansion of negative environmental emissions, most of which is derailed through the influence of powerful lobbyists for the oil, energy, and automotive industries. The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an amendment to an international treaty assigning mandatory emission limitations for the reduction of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gas emissions to the signatory nations. It was presented for signature in March 1998, and has since been signed by 169 nations, including all countries categorized as developed except two: the U.S. and Australia. It is up to all Americans at every level, companies and individuals, to be heard by their representatives on important issues.

Join the SFC

We are one small part of the puzzle with the aim of bringing the furniture industry more into alignment on this important issue. We welcome your support. Together, we are making a difference.