Sustainable furniture – Everything you need to know
At Dthree, we are committed to ensuring that sustainability is a top priority through all aspects of the office design and build process. We have helped many clients realise their sustainability aspirations, which in turn have been awarded BREEAM Outstanding, SKA Gold, and LEED Gold assessment ratings and certifications.
During the design stages, our team can provide a step-by-step plan to help your organisation create a more environmentally friendly workplace by sourcing the most sustainable materials, fabrics, flooring and of course furniture specifications.
Furniture is not always a consideration that comes to mind when thinking about the different elements that contribute to creating greener environments – but does play a vital role.
Emily, our in house Furniture Project Director, works alongside our clients to source sustainable products, which align to their business aspirations.
Emily Lumley, Furniture Project Director
Sourcing sustainable furniture
“We advise clients to invest in items which are durable, have a full life cycle, and can be recycled/ re used after use. Sourcing local products which have a low carbon foot print during the manufacturing process, as well as good ethical standards (such as mater) by keeping sustainability in the forefront of their designs, is always a priority for us.
The commercial furniture industry has already begun to make conscious decisions for ethical change by considering materials and products that are better for our environment.”
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach
“We approach each project with a complete open mind. When it comes commercial furniture, there is no house style or supplier bias. Instead, a sympathetic understanding for the challenges that you may face and a desire to find the perfect solution for each client.
Sourcing the right solutions requires us to integrate our market knowledge and collaborate with not just the clients, but also the designers, to ensure any selections are the right fit both in environmentally and aesthetically.”
Tips for becoming more sustainable in the workplace
“A great tip when buying furniture of any sort is to see if the wood is FSC certified. FSC system allows businesses and consumers to identify, purchase and use wood, paper, and other forest products made with materials from well-managed forests or recycled sources.
Companies can also look at swapping out their paper supplier to those who offer rainforest alliance certification, FSC, Carbon Trust and 100% Eucalyptus Fibre, which all help to reduce the impact of our necessary printing.
If you are currently redefining your workplace strategy and considering how the physical space can support this, why not think about designing an office with BREEAM, SKA or LEED accreditation in mind?”
Sustainable product recommendations
Looking to make your space more environmentally friendly, but have no idea where to start? Here are some of our sustainable furniture recommendations currently on the market:
Made from ocean waste:
Ocean Bench | Black | by Jørgen & Nanna Ditzel
https://uk.humanscale.com/products/seating/smart-ocean-task-office-chair
Made from discarded beer kegs:
Made using plastic household waste:
https://www.fritzhansen.com/en/categories/by-series/N02/N02STD
Planq brand use recycled fashion/ coffee bags to create furniture and stop it going into landfill: https://www.planqproducts.com/about
Looking to improve your workspace as a whole? Get in touch to see how we can help!