Environmentally friendly furniture
What exactly is eco friendly furniture? It refers to the material the furniture piece is is made of and more importantly the percentage of recycled products in it. Jut because the label say it is eco friendly doesn't really mean it is 100% made of recyclable or friendly products.
Lets look at wood products first. The big thing with environmental groups is with logging companies destroying too many old growth forests for the wood. This is mostly in the hardwood forest industry for getting the old oak and teak wood. They are right of course but you do have to temper this with a bit of realism. All types of wood are actually a environmentally friendly material if you were to look at it as a renewable resource. You take a tree and replace it with another one. This has worked in the past very well. The problem lies in the time frame it takes to grow another tree to 100 feet of maturity. The other problem is that what is referred to as 2 year and third year growth, it is not the same quality as old growth. The grain is further apart and not as strong, or does it look as good.
The other problem that we are seeing today is the effect of global warming on the life cycle of these trees. This can be seen throughout north America in the cedar and pine forests. In British Columbia, Canada this can be noticed just by driving through a few parks. The pine trees look like they have dried out, this is being caused by the pine beetle. Normally in years gone by the winters were cold and long enough to kill off the pine beetle so that it wasn't a big problem. Now in 2007 the winters are still just as cold the problem is they are not long enough to kill off the infestations of the pine beetle, which multiply too quickly and then affect the trees. Pesticides have proven to be NOT the answer to keeping them under control.
So what can you use as a truly eco friendly furniture
Moso bamboo which is used for flooring and furniture grows through out Asia to the about 60 feet high. It is a renewable if the crops are replaces and managed properly. It can be harvested every 4 to six years compared to the 15 to 20 years of other hardwoods. The concern for most consumers will be the amount of formaldehyde used in the adhesive. Look for an emission level of .3ppm or lower.
Cork is a harvested bark from cork oak trees in china and mostly Portugal. It is a renewable product that is harvested from a mature 9 year old tree. The bark grows back leaving the tree just as healthy as when it was first grown. This product is also recyclable. Cork trees are normally grown without the use fof herbicides and fertilizers or irrigation. Problems to look for, make sure that non toxic glues and coatings have been used. Cork from China is low quality so stick with Mediterranean countries.
Felt is made of scrap carpet underlay and usually 100% wool or has a blend with a synthetic natural fiber. More and more products are being made of felt these days. seen in baskets mostly. Felt is considerable a renewable animal product and keeps waste out of landfills. Avoid bleached or heavy dyed felt because these are not eco friendly.
Reusable wood from torn down buildings, scraps and old wood cleaned out from rivers and the bottom of lakes is becoming very popular. It takes the pressure off the logging industry and does save a few trees. If you are buying furniture made from this type of material look for the smartwood.org standard label.
Furniture mostly outdoor patio furniture that is made from industrial scrap plastic containers, paper products and aluminum cans. These products keep a lot of waste materials out of the land fills. The higher the percentage of recycled plastic the better. Most people look buy these types of materials in flooring which you can read our flooring reviews here or for lawn and garden furniture which you can view here.
