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If you’re thinking of ways to reduce your carbon footprint, the best way to get started is to consider your furniture choices.
From manufacturing to transportation, furniture produces a hugely damaging carbon footprint. Concerningly, more than 800,000 metric tons of carbon emissions are produced every year to create the comfy sofas and reclining armchairs we can’t live without.
It’s a huge chunk of CO2, so what can you do to help? A good start is to begin shopping around for eco-friendly furniture.
Read on to see how you can be clear of conscience and a sovereign of style with our expert shopping tips, below.
Sure, trees are important for coffee tables and roomy three-seater suites, but they also circulate oxygen around the atmosphere.
To protect this precious resource, we need to do our very best to look after the world’s tropical jungles, verdant-clad forests and leafy woods. That’s where the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) come in. These organisations are dedicated to growing and harvesting trees sustainably so that we can enjoy a green and healthy planet for centuries to come.
You can do your part by keeping an eye out for a special PEFC or FSC label on any wood furniture that you buy.
With landfill sites filling up fast, it’s important that we find alternatives to those tiresome trips to the tip.
Eco-aware companies, such as Geyersbach and Pentatonic, are already doing their part by using recycled materials in their furniture. In this circular economy, the likes of reclaimed lumber and plastic are repurposed into stylish armchairs and sofas.
But you don’t have to be an expert carpenter to give your old sofa a new lease of life. The easiest (and cheapest) way to recycle furniture is to donate your old items to a charity shop. Just head over to Charity Retail to find a suitable store willing to take your bulky donation.
For more information about what you can do with your old furniture, take a look at this blog post.
With a renewed mainstream appeal, eco-friendly fabrics are no longer resigned to unattractive hemp or itchy organic cottons.
Woven with softer fabrics for a finer feel, plant-based fabrics now look just as good as any other textile – just without the heavy carbon footprint. Along with their organic origins, they use far less water and fertiliser than standard fabrics. Many are even biodegradable.
If you’re not sure you could spot a plant-based fabric from a synthetic, don’t worry, it’s not a guessing game. As with wood, certification bodies have sprung up to let consumers know which textiles are eco-friendly. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), for example, only gives their stamp of approval to textile products which contain a minimum of 70% organic fibres.
Here at Plumbs, we help you go green with an upcycling option of our own. Instead of throwing your sofa away, our expert craftspeople rejuvenate your best-loved belongings with our reupholstery service. More than just a makeover, we tighten joints, replace springs and refill worn down cushions to keep your sofa looking its best for longer.
Elsewhere, if you’re just after a new look for your living room, our made-to-measure loose sofa covers fit the bill perfectly.
Stuck for choice between reupholstery and sofa covers? Get in touch with your local Plumbs home consultant to arrange a visit and start learning how our skilled craftsmen can help you create a more sustainable and beautiful home.
Sophie is a great granddaughter of the founders of the business - so fabrics and furniture are almost part of her DNA! Her interests include home interiors and upcycling, and her favourite show to watch after work is The Repair Shop. Some of the topics she covers on the Plumbs blog include sofa reupholstery and furniture protection.
We'll go through our fabric collections and offer advice on colour and designs. There's no pressure to buy anything.
