OUR TOP SUSTAINABLE FURNITURE PICKS FOR YOUR BEDROOM AND LIVING AREAS
1. West elm
West Elm designs for the earth, and for the community. 60% of their sales support at least one of their sustainability initiatives. Focused on expanding the use of low-impact materials, reducing waste, and prioritizing circularity. West Elm believes in great design, from around the corner to around the globe. That means supporting the people behind their products with ethical production, worker well-being, and economic impact. Original designs where 95% of their products are designed by their in-house team at their Brooklyn studios. Collaborating with artisan collectives around the world to help preserve their handcraft traditions and create opportunities for sustainable employment, especially in rural areas. Let’s look at the facts; $200M USD invested in artisan communities and local craftspeople, $5.7M USD paid in Fair Trade community development funds, 100% of all-cotton bedding and bath towels are sustainably sourced, including organic, 550+ farmers trained in more sustainable practices in 2020 through West Elm partnerships with the Better Cotton Initiative, 2.3B litres of water saved in 2019 by sourcing organic cotton and 66M plastic bottles kept from landfill through REPREVE recycled polyester.
1. Koskela
Koskela is about revisiting the ways in which things were made more sustainably from natural or recycled materials. It’s the return of design that inspires us and truly cares about its lasting impact. Design for a circular economy rather than a linear one. They’re about making a change in the design world by giving back to the communities that have been underserved and promoting sustainable design that is good for people and the planet. Their philosophy guides them to not only inspire the next generation of makers, but inspire people to make a change with how they choose to furnish their homes, offices, and learning environments. Koskela is committed to treading as lightly as possible on the natural world. We consider our impact on the planet in the way our products are designed and made and what goes into them, as well as in the way we do business. Koskela's Future Fit program will transition Koskela’s products to a closed-loop system, to ensure they achieve their goal of lowering carbon emissions to Absolute Zero by 2030 (without offsets). They aim to lead the way in an industry that has often been detrimental to the natural world. Koskela is deeply committed to reconciling with our First Nations history and cultures. One of the ways they do this is to create income-earning opportunities for First Nations artists and makers through collaborative design projects. This generates an income independent of the Government, helping artists to continue to live the life they have chosen to lead and maintain their traditional practices. It also facilitates artists to access markets outside the traditional art markets, enabling them to tell their stories and showcase their cultures to a broader audience. Koskela has collaborated with 49 First Nations artists and art centre partners, generating over $1.1 million in income.
1. Koala
Quality Australian mattresses made with the planet in mind, sustainable ethics, and prioritising your health with a GECA certification. Koala is dedicated to keeping furniture and bedding products out of landfill and in your homes for longer. As a social enterprise, they recycle as many mattresses as possible and protect the environment by reducing landfill. Over 1.6 million mattresses end up in landfill each year, with only 15% recycled. Cheap mass-produced items may seem like a good short-term fix, but it’s the planet that ends up footing the bill. Koala is partnered with Soft Landing, a mattress recycling social enterprise, to remove and recycle your old mattress for a reasonable fee. They’re the only Australian mattress and furniture retailer that supports 1% for the Planet, which means they give one percent of gross sales annually to environmental causes and social enterprises. Koala is also B-Corp certified, which means they stick to the highest social and environmental standards and are a part of a group of companies working together to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Since 2015, they’ve donated over $2 million to charities - including their ongoing partnership with WWF-Australia, donating over $1.5 million since 2017 to help koalas, green sea turtles, and red-black cockatoos. Koala also has a ‘Second Home’ Furniture Recovery and Factory Outlet to sell new (end-line and overstocks) and near-new products (returned and refurbished) direct to the public. This means savings of 30-70% off retail prices. Koala is confident their mattresses will last for the long haul, so they’ve even put a 10-year warranty on all their mattresses! Maybe your next mattress will be a koala?
