Where Does Your Furniture Come From?
- jaymie page
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Happy Earth Day!
In honor of the day, I thought I would write about the impact of buying sustainable furniture.
Do you know where your furniture comes from? With Tariffs being implemented in the US, we are now forced to really look into where our goods come from. But shouldn’t we always? Our families, communities, and our globe are only as good as what we put into them. If we give them the things they need, they will flourish!
Your furniture is something that requires resources to be made and it’s only as good as the craftsmen that create it.
There are many furniture companies that work every day to be sustainable but as a designer who also sells furniture, one that comes to my mind is Rowe Furniture.
Why invest in Rowe?
A Leader in Sustainability
Rowe is one of the founders of the Sustainable Furnishings Council created in 2006. This group consists of a range of manufacturers, retailers, and designers that are dedicated to finding and implementing ways to become more environmentally sustainable. This includes where components are sourced!
Sustainable Forestry practices
Rowe is part of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. They use locally sourced lumber for all of their frames and partake in practices that combat deforestation to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and/or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). Their lumber is free from formaldehyde and their glues are all water-based.
NO PFAS Fabrics.
There are many nameless brands that will sell furniture at all costs, including selling chemically riddled seating.
Rowe does not support the use of forever-chemicals on their fabrics. They have partnered with fabric companies like Crypton, Inside Out, Sunbrella, and Sustain that also believe in a better and cleaner world. These companies take pride in making changes to be more sustainable every day! Not only that, but I think we all tend to forget that our skin is porous and can soak up chemicals on fabrics over time. Your health is the most valuable thing you have! Everything you do, touch, invest in affects it.
Recycling
Where does your sofa go when you’re done with it? When Rowe is through with cushions, they recycle them into carpet padding. Their springs are made from recycled iron ore and their nails are uncoated so they don’t seep chemicals into your furniture. Through their recycling practices, they were successfully able to divert 6,051,701 lbs of materials from landfills in 2023. That’s HUGE! Some people don’t realize how much waste the companies they buy from produce. Rowe also recycles their saw dust, and their fabric and fabric scraps.
Supports Small Businesses
This one isn't really eco-centered but Rowe loves supporting small businesses! They've partnered with many small retailers across the country and aim to always encourage consumers to shop small and local. We should all care enough about our communities to keep our money circling in them and not going outside of them. When you support your local shop, like Klingman's Furniture and Design, you help keep your friends and neighbors afloat. The world can be a hard place, but maintaining our villages makes it better for us all!
You can see all of this info and more on their website as well as below