With the rise of public awareness concerning the global impact of deforestation, sustainable furniture has become the phrase on the lips of many retailers and furniture manufacturers throughout the world. The Sustainable Furniture Council has risen to the challenge to certify manufacturers and retailers as following green practices. The SFC monitors their members with a Life Cycle Assessment. This process carefully studies the impact of a products overall impact on the environment, from materials harvesting to landfill impact. Their mission statement explains four major goals:
- To raise awareness of the sustainability issue
- To assist companies in adopting good practices
- To serve as an information clearing house
- To create a symbol of assurance for consumers
Currently, the Sustainable Furniture Council has over 160 members. To raise public awareness about the importance of sustainable furniture, the SFC has launched an in-store tagging system to help educate consumers and highlight responsible retailers and manufacturers. Seeing this symbol on your next purchase means that this product has been thoroughly inspected for environmental compliance.
Sustainable furniture possesses the following qualities:
- The materials are easily renewable and recyclable, making them viable for future generations
- All wood materials are legally harvested from countries with strict chain-of-custody procedures to deter poaching
- Any wood materials are grown in plantations that are continually replanted, not rain forests or virgin arboreal forests
- The material is processed into finished goods in an efficient manner, using as little chemical processing as possible
- The harvest, manufacture, and distribution of the sustainable furniture does not harm any ecosystem
With further consumer awareness, sustainable furniture will become the new staple when searching for a solution to your interior design needs. If you have a story about your experience with a SFC certified product, we'd love to hear it in the comments below!
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