Outdoor Furniture

The term sustainability for the contemporary furniture designer /manufacturer, is actually difficult to define. It can mean many things such as social responsibility, use of non-polluting technologies, certified materials even employment fairness and more. To gain a clearer picture sustainable products must be viewed as a whole, analysing the whole production cycle of raw material aquisition, through to maufacture, end use and final disposal. I would however initially like to give some broad definitions of what green furniture is and what challenges I came across when I first started designing furniture.Admittedly, I didn’t know much about eco design when I first started out designing furniture. The coffee table below was the first piece of furniture I designed. It is made of MDF which does have a limited eco-friendly element in that it consists of wood chips. However after wanting to learn more about designing furniture, I found out through another New Zealand product designer, Christopher Metcalfe, that standard MDF has formeldehyde in it and it is more eco friendly to use non formeldehyde ( E0 grade ) MDF.The table pictured below is one I designed using FSC certified gaboon plywood. However if I’m being completely honest with myself, I later found out that the plywood was harvested in West Africa and processed in France. Then shipped to New Zealand. Just because it’s FSC certified, doesn’t mean it’s ok to clock up as much carbon mileage points with your materials as you like. I’m currently looking to have them made in either hoop pine or in New Zealand harvested pine.Alternatively look to buy furniture made with reclaimed or recycled materials. In my opinion, furniture made from recycled or reclaimed materials is the most sustainable option albeit short term solution. This is also keeping in mind the production methods and processes also follow eco principles as well. For example, in regards to the below picture, I designed this coffee table for a staging job. I found this tyre dumped a long the side of the road. I painted it with some left over water based non toxic paint. The glass top was bought from an internet auction via a company who were selling it due to ’surplus to requirements’. If you’re going to design and make products, at the very least, do it in an environmentally responsible manner that everyone will respect including the planet itself.Ever bought a kitset piece of furniture or home accessory that took you an eternity to put together ? If at all possible, find out it can be easily assembled. Also try to look for products that are durable and can be fixed easily.Ideally if you buy furniture new, check if the finishing has no or low toxicity levels or off gasing as it is called. That ‘new carpet smell’ you find is actually formeldeyhde, which can cause health issues. Choose water-based products so that any wooden furniture can be recycled or composted safely at the end of its useful life. Indeed, look for products that have either a ‘cradle to grave’ or ‘cradle to cradle’ cycle to it as well.Buying vintage or antique furniture is another great way of being eco-friendly and can be an investment as well.Where possible, look for Forestry Stewardship Council ( FSC ) certified wood if you are buying new furniture. Basically this certification will reduce the risk of the wood from being illegally or over harvested.Always look to buy local, this also helps support your local businesses too. If you have no use for some of your furniture, sell it, give it away to family, friends or give it to charity.My next entry will be a review on the latest product from a talented furniture designer from Wellington.Please Note: There are forms of formal analysis that can help towards eco assessing furniture, for example a Life Cycle Analysis ( LCA ), however due to resourcing, costs and time this is not realistic for me to achieve. My assessment is based on published information available to the public. I may get information from designers/manufacturers directly to help with my assessment and rating.

The Shoestring table and side table is designed by Nathan Goldsworthy of Conscious Design from Wellington.Aesthetically speaking this table is sleek modernism wrapped in ‘cool’ colours.The table is made of 6mm thick steel coils. Functionally, the product is a coffee table but could be used as a bench. The storage area underneath is a clever additional use of its functionality.The table can come in a blue oxide or powder coated finish. Powder coating is an excellent eco friendly process. It is virtually pollution free with very low volatile organic compounds (V.O.C ). Also unlike traditional chemical paints, there is minimal waste. It provides a very durable finish. This durability allows the Shoestring table for outdoor use.Nathan’s design allows the construction of the table to have zero waste of the steel coil. However the environmental issue of this table lies in the production of the steel itself. It is cheaper to recycle steel than to mine iron ore and manipulate it through the production process to form new steel. Therefore it needs to be confirmed, if the steel used to make the table is made from recycled steel. What can be confirmed, is that because the Shoestring table is made of steel, it is durable and easily recyclable which enhances it’s eco cradle to cradle credibility.The packaging of the table is made of reinforced cardboard, which naturally means the packaging is recyclable.How easy or mobile is it to move the table around ? The table weighs 21 kg’s which, for some people, may be a bit on the heavy side, especially considering the size of the table.Nathan’s Shoestring table definitely has some admirable eco qualities going for it. Indeed some questions still remain that could give this table an increased eco rating. Based on my above analysis, findings and comments, I would give this table an eco rating of 3 and half stars out of 5. To view more of Conscious Design’s products see website: http://www.consciousdesign.co.nz/For my next blog entry I’ll be commenting and giving my thought’s on what I call ‘the pursuit of sustainability’.

Is there true sustainability in the modern world today? David Trubridge (NZ furniture designer) stated in an article, ‘To be sustainable, to do something sustainably, means quite simply that it can continue FOR EVER, without any detrimental effect to the environment or to people. It means you can sustain this activity for generations, or go on making that object for generations. There is no part-sustainable. Either something is sustainable or it is not, just like being pregnant.’ So lets look at some challenges as to why sustainability in the true sense, will be very difficult to achieve and suggest a way forward in the pursuit of sustainability. In this consumerist world we live in, there is always one key factor for the average person that determines what they buy, cost. If something is too expensive people just aren’t going to buy it. Even if a product is the most sustainable in the world. And there lies the challenge, how to convince all businesses to move to greener practices while maintaining (or exceeding) their business goals and providing affordability to consumers at the same time. Also how to monitor businesses to make sure they are continuing green practices. I think if controlled and defined sustainable practices are introduced this would allow businesses to ‘acclimatise’ to change. Small steps are important. You can’t throw a big ‘eco political blanket’ over businesses and manufacturers and expect them to change over night in regards to completely overhauling their methods and processing. It’s just not realistic. Instead I believe small incremental steps is a way to go forward. A thorough plan needs to be made consisting of clear realistic aims and goals including scope, funding and resources. Consultation with key stakeholders, including environmentalists, government reps, designers, education representatives, tertiary academics, researchers, testers, manufacturers, retailers, marketing consultants, advertisers and media representatives need to get together to contribute towards figuring out exactly what and how changes need to be introduced and to what degree and when. It is important that consumer habits and consumption also need to be looked at. Carol Boyle of Auckland University is currently in talks with Trade and Enterprise to look at ways of convincing businesses to move to greener practices. David Tribridge is currently working with Auckland Unitec with Life Cycle Anaylsis (LCA) testing. Some businesses are voluntarily doing their bit in their pursuit of sustainability, some are not and some, not enough.I do feel that there are people out there trying to play their part to make this a greener place, but I think what they do in isolation will not be effective enough. Combined forces of key stakeholders working together to form a holistic approach, will give a better chance of success. My next post will be a review on a product from one of NZ’s best furniture designers.