Outfitting your home or office with ethically and environmentally sustainable furniture can be daunting. The trend over the past years has been the production of low-cost furniture that has no durability and the effects on the environment quite damaging. At the risk of sounding alarmist, most traditional furniture does not adhere to sustainable living. They are sometimes made from materials that may be harmful to you, your family, and the environment.
On the flipside, ethical and sustainable furniture has been far from affordable. Thankfully, as technology evolves and the understanding of sustainability becomes more widespread, companies are now producing affordable, eco-friendly furniture options. In addition to this, manufacturers like Flexispot are committed to producing eco-friendly ergonomic furniture options. To achieve this, these companies utilize materials from sustainable resources and recycled goods.
Understandably, shopping for sustainable furniture can be daunting since the majority of available brands are unsustainable. May low-cost furniture options are often made from materials that affect the environment negatively. There still is a glaring gap here, and that’s why educating the public on sustainable furniture is key to moving forward.
What is sustainable furniture?
Eco-friendly furniture means that the furniture is created with minimum harm to the environment. According to experts at Flexispot, using wood from renewable sources is key, so is ensuring any chemicals used do not pollute the environment. Sustainable furniture design ensures that minimum resources are utilized, and the delivery and mileage remain as low as possible.
Eco-friendly furniture can also be manufactured from recycled materials. There are many items that can be recycled in a home that you would be able to repurpose with no trouble. It is green living at its best.
The big question is how to tell sustainable furniture apart from other types. The simple answer is checking for product specifications before purchase and researching products before purchase.
Though sustainable furniture has not been around very long, it is important to consider second-hand items too. These are often unique, low-cost, and friendly.
Buying eco-friendly furniture
Many brands now have a range of eco-friendly products. It Is not apparent; it is essential to ask before completing a purchase. Flexispot explains that you can find exciting and innovative sustainable furniture options. These will serve as a source of inspiration and demonstrate how sustainable living can be exciting and trendy.
Buying eco-friendly furniture has meant being ready to part with a bit extra. According to specialists at Flexispot, this is quickly being replaced by affordable green furniture options that you can choose from with ease. Brands are now more willing to use sustainable materials for furniture. However, even with this in mind, most sustainable options are still a bit more expensive than low-cost traditional furniture options.
Ergonomic, eco-friendly furniture
Ergonomic furniture is all the rage right now. Increasingly necessitated by the need to transition workers and students from sedentary lifestyles to active living, ergonomic furniture pieces have made a world of difference for many people. Ergonomic furniture pieces help you adjust your posture and utilize the space you have in the best way.
Combining ergonomics and sustainability is a whole other ball game. The team at Flexispot states that green ergonomic furniture is setting off a new movement in the industry. There is a clear need for sustainable, ergonomic furniture among users of all ages. Therefore, buying eco-friendly standing desks, chairs, and accessories is in demand.
As people look for eco-friendly products for their spaces, they are also pressed for the quality and stability of the furniture. From bamboo to recycled materials, ergonomic furniture brands have stepped up to satisfy this need.
Being environmentally friendly with existing furniture
Sustainability is not just for new furniture; there are alternatives to buying new furniture to achieve this. If you have old furniture that is tired and worn, there are ways that you can give these pieces a new boost. First, you can reupholster soft furniture, which will be more affordable than buying new furniture.
There are many eco-friendly furnishing fabrics available for use. They are also modern and exciting. You can achieve this by getting new throws and cushions on environmentally friendly materials. As the industry evolves to accommodate all the changes taking place, you can do a lot more with your old furniture. Sometimes, all it takes is a little imagination!
The benefits
There are many benefits of using sustainable furniture in your home or office space. These include:
- It is good for your health – Unknown to many, normal furniture has a high number of chemicals that could harm your health. Children are susceptible to chemicals; therefore, eco-friendly options are a great way to avoid this. Going for eco-friendly options will protect you and your family from irritation and the long-lasting effects of exposure to these chemicals.
- Prevents deforestation – Climate change is a very real global issue that is plaguing the world. Every year, huge quantities of wood are used to make furniture. There has been widespread irresponsible use of furniture across the globe. Environmental organizations are now calling on people to use wood responsibly. You can do your part by opting for environmentally-friendly furniture options.
- Excellent style – It is not just the protection value that is attractive about eco-friendly furniture. Green furniture is now a trend, and brands have put their best foot forward to produce trendy and innovative designs to promote sustainable furniture.
The downsides
Using eco-friendly furniture is a large part of promoting green living in the world. This kind of purchase is quite rewarding too. Looking at the increasingly wide array of styles and options available, there is bound to be a style option to meet everyone’s taste. If not, custom pieces are also available.
There are many advantages of sustainable furniture for your home or workspace. However, there are a few downsides that you’re bound to run into:
· Price – though already discussed, many brands don’t clearly indicate the prices of eco-friendly products on their websites. Some will even charge higher than typical furniture prices. It is crucial to figure out if you can afford a product or not when researching the ideal option.
· Availability – Sustainable furniture options are still a bit hard to come by. When you find one you like online, it is likely that it is not available in your area and doesn’t ship to your location. The fee might be extremely high if it can be shipped, sometimes almost the same price as the furniture piece.
· Limited options – Even as the sustainable furniture portfolio continues to grow, the furniture collections offered by brands may not be complete sets for living rooms, workspaces, bedrooms, etc. Therefore, you end up having a few green options amid unsustainable options.
Flexi Gallery: Desktop Design Contest
Even with so much insistence on green living, there is still a need for education on sustainable furniture. Flexispot, a leading furniture manufacturer, has taken it upon themselves to educate their customers on different products and the best way to use them.
Not only do they provide ergonomic furniture options, but they also focus on providing eco-friendly designs as part of their environmental protection efforts. To continue these efforts, Flexispot has launched a standing desk design contest dubbed - Earthlings, Mother nature is calling!
Desktop Design Contest
The standing desk desktop design contest is now live, starting from August 31st and ending on the 30th of September. The leading furniture manufacturer calls on audiences everywhere to enter their design contest, where three winners will be crowned. The contest is geared towards environmental protection and bringing awareness of this to audiences everywhere.
How it works
As earlier mentioned, three winners will be crowned and get Flexispot prizes, the Desk Bike, Standing Desk Converter, and Seiffen Standing Desk. The main theme is protecting the environment; therefore, you should upload your design entry. The entry must be in image form and sized 1397x711. In addition to this, attach a brief descriptive story to go with your design.
Once your end is done, Flexispot will continue to pick three winners from the top-3 most liked design entries. These will be showcased in Flexispot’s photo gallery. From October 1st to 3rd, winners will receive email confirmations with further details.
How to join
If you haven’t joined, submit your work, along with the registration form. You will get a notification email once your design entry is approved and uploaded to Flexispot’s gallery. It is that simple, and you stand to win the following prizes.
To wrap up:
The main objective of sustainability in furniture is to better overall results, improve the quality of your home or office space while causing minimal impact to the environment. You are not alone in the quest for green furniture options. As this demand increases and more people become privy to the benefits of sustainable furniture, more companies are dipping into this pool. It is important to note that these furniture designs are quite durable and bring elegance to your space that traditional furniture cannot achieve. Therefore, take the first step into ethically and sustainably produced ergonomic furniture with Flexispot by entering their Dream-to-Desktop standing desk design contest.