A Guide to Eco-Friendly Furniture - Part 4
Welcome!
I’m Johanna and I help homeowners design their homes in eco-friendly ways. With my architectural & design background, I guide folks to “green” design solutions so that their space aligns with their eco-conscious values. Learn more here!
This post is the LAST part of a 4 week series where we’ve be taking a deep dive into the various “green” certifications that are assigned to home furnishings. Last week, I talked about “Organic” furnishings and what certification you should look for when sourcing for your home. You can read all about that here!
Interested in the rest of the series? Links below!
Part 2: Sourcing “Sustainably Sourced” Furnishings
Part 1: Sourcing “Non-Toxic” Furnishings
Intro: Understanding Greenwashing
Part 4: More ways to search “eco-friendly”!
Week by week we discussed what to look for in your eco-friendly sourcing journey, be it Organic, Sustainably Sourced or Non-toxic. Within each of those categories, we outlined specific certifications to look for in the products to make sure the selections you make actually are better for the environment.
This last week we’ll discuss one final resource as a means for searching for eco-goods:
Sustainable Furnishings Council
What is it?
The Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) is an organization that helps companies reduce their environmental footprints as they grow. It also helps consumers find healthy furnishings.
Their goals are:
Raise awareness of sustainability issues
Assist companies in adopting eco-friendly practices
Serve as an information clearinghouse
Provide a symbol of assurance for consumers
Why is it important?
They actively work with manufacturers, retailers and designers to raise awareness about the climate crisis and expand the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices across the home furnishings industry.
How to search for products?
SFC has a “Wood Furniture Scorecard” that grades companies on their ability to implement robust policies that drive responsible wood sourcing practices throughout their supply chain.
This is a great jumping off point to find retailers that are providing more sustainably sourced products in their stores. But please note, just because a company has been scored by SFC does not mean that all of their products meet sustainable standards. It is still important to read the various descriptions of products for the certifications we have outlined over the past few weeks!
Up Next: LIVE Webinar!
NEW DATE! On Thursday, October 8th, 2020, I will be hosting a LIVE webinar! We will talk about navigating the complex world of sustainable furniture & I’ll be answering your specific questions.
We’ll review the various certifications discussed over this 4 week series and you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions you have about selecting eco-friendly products.