7 questions you need to ask before you buy furniture

As a certified Greenleader and a member of the sustainable furnishings council, I have become very aware of all the potentially toxic items we have in our homes and how we can avoid it. Taking this certification course and learning more about global warming and the effect it has on our environment and indoor air quality has been eye opening.

There is a vast amount of research and information on global warming which I wont get into because you can just google till your hearts content (or till your heart is really fuckin sad). What I want to focus on is the indoor air quality of our homes. Many toxic chemicals that come into our homes are in our furniture and fabrics, so it is a big problem for the home furnishings industry to understand and begin to address.

Carbon Dioxide is the main contributor to climate change, which comes from two main sources, burning fossil fuels and deforestation. We keep churning it out year after year in huge quantities, since 1970 CO2 emissions have increase by about 90 percent, with emissions from fossil fuel and industrial process being the largest contributors. The most Industrialized nations are the biggest contributors, the US being second on the list. Globally, the two main reasons for burning fossil fuels are electricity generation and transportation.

What many people don’t know is that residential furnishings has a large environmental footprint.

Deforestation is a big problem and is still being executed around the world. When our forests are being cut down to clear the land for cattle fields and condos, the trees are not there to suck up all the co2 we are creating. Even though the overall rate of deforestation on the whole is slowing, we are losing 15 billion trees per year, even with our replanting efforts. Did you know that two thirds of the U.S. clean water supply comes from precipitation that is filtered through forests and comes to us through streams? Water is not an infinite resource, fresh water accounts for 1% of all the water on the planet. I don’t know about you, but when I read that I feel pretty damn grateful I don’t have to walk 5 miles in the hot sun to get a bucket of (maybe) fresh spring water.

The home furnishings industry directly relates to many sustainability issues; emission (electricity & transportation), deforestation (number 3 user of the wood resource), indoor air quality (VOC’s in glues and finishes), hazardous chemicals (formaldehyde, flame retardants, stain treatments, antimicrobials, vinyl), toxic waste (textiles use 10 to 100% weight in chemicals), water pollution, landfills (9.7M tons discarded annually).

What to know…

Sustainability umbrellas many concerns
conservation
deforestation
global warming
toxic pollutants
indoor air quality
health & wellness
local economy
social equity
extinction

If you are looking to buy new furniture for your home, these questions are essential for the health of your home. Whether you are working with a designer or DIY-ing it, you will want to read on…

7 must ask questions before you purchase furniture

1. What’s it made of ?

80% of the environmental impact of a product is in it’s materials, what' in it?

2. Where does it come from?

Is the wood legally harvested? Look for certified FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative in North America), reclaimed, or plantation grown woods.

What to know…

Many volatile chemicals come into our homes from the materials in our furnishings through harmful chemical compounds that volatilize and pollute our indoor environments. Asthma is on the rise affecting 25 million Americans, risen from 5% to 8% over the last decade. We are breathing in poor quality air that is harmful to the sensitive lining of our lungs.

3. What’s in the Fabric? Is it organic?

Textile production contributes to toxic waste pollution of water. Toxic chemicals are used in both growing natural fibers and creating synthetic ones, ask if the fiber is organically grown and look for GOTS (global organic textile standard) and Oeko-Tex Ceritfications. You can google both of these organizations for detailed information.

What to know…

Home furnishing choices can significantly influence a wide range of environmental concerns including climate change, pollution and water conservation.

4. Is the paint low or no VOC?

Luckily most paint companies these days are very aware of this issue and now make all their paint with minimal VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). These paints will be water base and not have that strong paint odor. It’s still important to ask the question!

5. Does my upholstered furniture contain fire retardants?

Most of the foam products in our homes were required by law (1975) to be treated with fire retardants, come to find out years later most of these fire retardants are toxic chemicals linked to cancer, neurological deficits, developmental problems, and impaired fertility. Upholstered furniture manufactured before 2015 is likely to have harmful flame retardant chemicals in the cushion foam. If the label on your furniture says it meets California standard TB 117 it is likely to contain flame retardants. But thankfully, now there are non-toxic alternatives and many manufacturers making flame-retardant free furniture, so this is an important question to ask.

6. Where was the furniture made?

Transportation is another factor in greenhouse gasses. Furniture that was produced close to you with local materials will cut emissions and support local artisans in your community. Local is best but made in the U.S. is still better than overseas.

7. Does the manufacturer have an energy use reduction plan?

The production of electricity is the single largest contributor to CO2 emissions worldwide. Companies with an energy use reduction plan are conscious and doing there part in helping to reduce global warming. The furniture companies that are doing their part to reduce global warming will have a sustainability page on their website which will detail their contribution.

Every product you put into your home has an environmental and health impact.

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Need help with your new room or home renovation? Book a discovery call or email me at amy@amybarattadesign.com