Furnishing your home is an exciting opportunity to reflect your personal style and values. But, your new furniture can also impact your health and the planet. What?! It’s true, many mainstream furniture brands have dangerous levels of flame retardants, formaldehyde, and phthalates.
These chemicals have been linked to reproductive harm and even cancer. We get exposed to these toxins when we unpack new furniture and it does something called “off-gassing”, which simply means it’s releasing some of the chemicals used to make it. This contributes to indoor air pollution, which isn’t great considering how much time we spend inside.
Lucky for us, some furniture companies are driven by the well-being of people and the planet all up and down their supply chains. Some are even in business purely to combat the 9 million tonnes of furniture that go to landfills every year! As buyers, we can practice conscious consumerism and support these brands when it’s time for a new piece of furniture.
We’ve rounded up our top picks for sustainable furniture brands that address chemical exposure and environmental impact while being totally stylish and ethically made. We’d love to chair them with you!
1. Burrow
Furniture Type: Seating, tables, shelving, home decor
Principles: Sustainably sourced hardwood, upcycled nontoxic fabric, made in the USA
Price: 💰💰
Frequent movers and city-dwellers, this one’s for you. Burrow makes completely customizable, modular, and modern furniture, making moving a breeze.
The furniture industry traditionally churns out products that are heavy to move, expensive to ship, and ridden with toxic chemicals. Burrow designs sustainable furniture that can grow with you whether you’re moving across the country, to a fifth-floor walkup, or switching your chaise to the other side of your couch.
Burrow’s design ethos is focused on affordability, transparency, and sustainability. They use sustainably-sourced hardwood, non-toxic cushions, and durable fabrics that are stain and scratch-resistant for pet-owners. This writer can attest to the Nomad couch’s high-quality, pleasing aesthetic, and affordability. It’s really the best place to curl up with a cup of coffee. Plus, all Burrow products have fun and luxurious elements, like built-in USB chargers and storage.
2. Made Trade
Furniture Type: Seating, tables, shelving, home decor
Principles: Sustainably made, ethically sourced, 1% For the Planet Members, Fair Trade, Vegan
Price: 💰💰
If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for all your home furnishing needs, check out Made Trade. This woman-owned, family-run marketplace operates with complete transparency and does all the vetting of each product they list, so you don’t have to. It’s one of our favorite ethical alternatives to Amazon too!
With the option to shop by value, Made Trade partners with hundreds of small businesses, artisans, and brands to take the guesswork out of ethical shopping. Each partnership aligns with one of their seven core values: Fair Trade, Heritage, Made in USA, People of Color Owned, Sustainable, Vegan, or Women-Owned.
From coasters to credenzas and softas to salad bowls, Made Trade has it all. We appreciate their commitment to sustainable materials and a rotating collection of ethical wares.
3. Thuma
Furniture Type: Bedroom
Principles: Upcycled wood, tree planting, Greenguard Certified, ethical manufacturing
Price: 💰💰
Minimalists, rejoice. Thuma is a no-frills sustainable furniture company with just two main products: The Bedframe and The Nightstand.
Inspired by modern architecture, Japanese craftsmanship, and the environment, Thuma used mindfulness at each step of the design process to make the best possible minimalist bed frame with the least environmental impact. Using upcycled rubberwood, Thuma’s designs are an eco-conscious, easy decision to make if you’re in the market for a bed frame. Plus, they’re Greenguard Certified, which means you won’t be inhaling any toxic chemicals during assembly (or whilst snoozing).
Two of our favorite design quirks are the washable Pillowboard and the Japanese Joinery, which means no tools or parts to lose. Just line up, click, and done.
4. Medley
Furniture Type: Bedroom, seating, tables, and storage
Principles: FSC hardwood, CertiPUR-US®-Certified Foam, Organic Natural Latex, OKETO-TEX® Certified, Greenguard Certified
Price: 💰💰 💰
Medley treats your home like the delicate ecosystem and valued sanctuary that it is. In Medley’s array of handcrafted furniture from Los Angeles, California, you won’t find harsh chemicals like carcinogens, ozone depleters, or phthalates.
In their stunning lineup of eco-friendly, toxin-free furniture, you’ll find mid-century modern inspired storage, sectionals, and seating. Each piece is handcrafted to order, so if you have a tricky space to fill, Medley is up to the task. They prioritize ethical USA-based craftsmanship because it helps keep their carbon footprint low and the quality high.
We love that Medley offers free swatches, design consulting, and returns to ensure that your purchase perfectly fits in your home.
5. Avocado
Furniture Type: Bedroom and mattresses
Principles: Global Organic Textile and Latex Standard, Carbon Negative, FSC® Certified (Forest Stewardship Council), Greenguard, OKETO-TEX® Certified, B Corp, 1% For the Planet Members
Price: 💰💰 💰
Whether you’re looking for a vegan, organic, toxin-free, or environmentally-friendly mattress, we guarantee that Avocado has the certification to prove its worthiness. (They’re kind of the Patagonia of mattresses.)
Famous for its mattresses made with organic cotton and beyond eco-friendly materials, Avocado has branched out to design bed frames, dressers, and nightstands using reclaimed wood. They also have an array of mattress accessories and crib mattresses, all of which adhere to their strict standards for environmental and human health.
As a socially responsible company, Avocado has taken steps to ensure that they operate in the least environmentally impactful manner. They’re a newly Certified B Corp, 1% For the Planet member, and Climate Neutral Certified.
6. The Citizenry
Furniture Type: Bedroom, seating, tables, storage, and decor
Principles: Handcrafted, Small Batches, Ethical Sourcing
Price: 💰💰 💰
A marketplace of artisan wares, The Citizenry has a collection that you won’t find anywhere else. They partner directly with artisans to collaborate on the items sold via their site and New York City location.
On each item’s page, you can see who handcrafted your product and how they did it. The Citizenry is transparent about their pricing and pays way above the fair trade requirement per item.
From rugs to tables, headboards, and decor, The Citizenry has a beautifully made piece that comes with a story. We love the simplistic style of their products with an emphasis on natural textures and beauty.
7. Joybird
Furniture Type: Bedroom, seating, tables, office, and storage
Principles: Tree planting, made-to-order, sustainable manufacturing
Price: 💰💰
Inspired by designers like Eero Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright, Joybird handcrafts eco-friendly furniture with the planet and mid-century modern style both in mind.
Joybird is committed to a low carbon footprint and ethical manufacturing. Their facilities in Tijuana, Mexico offer fair wages, full medical benefits. Plus, when you order from Joybird they plant trees in partnership with their conservation partners to practice carbon offsetting.
Joybird also uses responsibly sourced materials to create their handcrafted, made-to-order pieces. Their couch inserts don’t have any flame retardants or harmful chemicals added and are low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) so you don’t need to worry about toxic fumes while settling into a Netflix binge or diving into one of our favorite social entrepreneurship books. We’re a big fan of Joybird’s tree planting initiatives, considering the importance of trees.
8. Masaya & Co.
Furniture Type: Bedroom, seating, tables, and storage
Principles: Renewable hardwoods, handcrafted, tree planting, sustainable & ethical manufacturing, sustainable sourcing, reforestation
Price: 💰💰💰
Now an online and Nashville-based furniture retailer, the roots of Masaya & Co. date back to 2008, when its Nicaraguan sister company and social enterprise was founded by a Peace Corps alum as a reforestation project.
Since 2015, the company has been selling sustainably-made hardwood furniture in the United States that perfectly integrates the founders’ commitments to reforestation and artisanal furniture.
The design of Masaya & Co.’s furniture is inspired by mid-century modernism, but with the influence of Central America’s vibrant colorways. Especially famous for their woven and textile-based armchairs, Masaya perfectly blends comfort, style, and sustainability. We love that Masya’s signature chairs can also be used as outdoor furniture, making them a versatile addition to any home.
In addition to their website, you can also find many of Masaya’s handcrafted offerings on Made Trade.
9. West Elm
Furniture Type: Bedroom, seating, tables, office, storage, children’s furniture, and home decor
Principles: Fair trade, FSC-Certified, Upcycled materials, Greenguard Certified, Organic, Sustainable Sourcing, OEKO-TEX®
Price: 💰💰💰
As a larger furniture retailer, you’ll find that West Elm’s furniture collection ranges from electric bohemian to refined and modern. 60% of West Elm’s products serve at least one of their sustainability initiatives and they’re committed to responsible design, manufacturing, and sourcing.
From dining tables to bookcases and accent tables, West Elm has everything you need to furnish your space. On their website, you can search by values to find products that best meet your personal preference. Check out dining room furniture that’s locally made or certified nontoxic bar stools made with natural materials. There are also more than 100 brick-and-mortar shops, scattered from North Carolina to Australia.
We love that West Elm is making such tangible progress on a wide range of issues. They’ve educated farmers through the Better Cotton Initiative, upcycled more than 14 million plastic bottles for polyester, and invested $10 million in small, local American businesses.
10. Floyd
Furniture Type: Bedroom, Storage, and Living Room
Principles: FSC Certified, responsible sourcing, Made in the U.S.
Price: 💰💰
Perhaps the platform bed that made platform beds cool again, Floyd designs and manufactures wood furniture that promises to be the star of any room.
If you’ve moved a lot, you know that moving a bed frame is undoubtedly the worst part. Floyd solved this with a simple fix: break it up. Floyd’s magical bed frame consists of two to four solid sustainable wood panels that come together quickly with steel fasteners. A Queen-sized bed has three panels, but you can take one out to form a Twin or add another one for a King. You can also add on a headboard or under-bed storage if you choose. Their other items like couches and coffee tables are equally as intuitive, providing a simple way for people to buy furniture that grows with them.
Floyd was founded to combat disposable furniture and reduce the amount of furniture ending up in landfills after just a few years. The company has lofty sustainability goals to meet by 2025, including the launch of a furniture refurbishment program and transparency in their carbon emissions. We love that Floyd’s designs are modular and thus, inherently more sustainable than other bed frames.
To Close
You’re well on your way to building a conscious home with these sustainable furniture companies! If you’d rather shop secondhand, check out your local thrift shops or Etsy for tons of reclaimed options that help reduce landfill waste and look great while doing it.
Furniture is something we constantly use and hopefully have for a long time, so it’s worth the investment to find a piece you love that aligns with your values. Each time you make a large (or small!) purchasing decision, you’re really voting with your dollar. So why not vote for the most climate and people-friendly option?
Jacqueline Goodwin
Sustainable Workplaces Manager & Writer
Jackie is the Sustainable Workplaces Manager at Urban Green Lab, a sustainability education nonprofit in Nashville, Tennessee. She’s passionate about connecting people with actionable ways to make a positive impact on the environment. She graduated from Dickinson College with a degree in Environmental Studies and a certificate in Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Jackie worked in the nonprofit world in Washington D.C. for Ashoka and the National Building Museum.
Jackie enjoys hiking with her rescue dog, finding craft breweries, and traveling the globe in search of plant-based eats.
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