10 Ethical & Eco-friendly Furniture Companies for Sustainable Homes
Furnishing your home can be a daunting task, especially when there is an endless variety of furniture on the market.
Like many people, you might resort to big box stores that make it easy to order trendy furniture with what appears to be the cheapest options.
pin this eco-friendly furniture guide for later
But just like fast fashion, the reality of mass-produced furniture has serious environmental, moral and health consequences that are hard to overlook.
Learn more about the impacts of fast furniture.
This guide will introduce you to some eco-friendly furniture brands that value ethics and sustainability. Plus, learn what materials to look for when shopping!
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer may receive a commission if you decide to purchase, however, at no additional cost to you!
How to Shop For Eco-friendly Furniture
While fast furniture is affordable and convenient, it’s not worth sacrificing our health and our planet.
The good news is there’s a growing number of furniture companies that are already making great strides to become more sustainable. Here’s what to look for when shopping for eco-friendly furniture.
Choose long-lasting material: One of the most crucial steps when buying furniture is to consider the material. Wood is still one of the best options available as it can be repaired to last longer. Look for FSC-certified wood or wood sourced from the U.S. where the risk of illegal logging is low. If you can, stay away from plastic furniture which is derived from oil and gas.
Avoid toxins: Many eco-friendly furniture companies avoid the use of hazardous chemicals but you have to confirm any claims by reading labels and ingredients lists. Avoid standard lacquers, varnishes, and products mentioning flame retardants or stain repellents and opt for furniture made with low to zero VOCs, water-based finishes, milk paint etc.
Purchase furniture from eco-friendly, sustainable furniture companies: Be careful, some big store furniture companies claim to have eco-friendly furniture lines while majority of their products are still bad for the planet. To avoid these greenwashing tactics, buy from ethical furniture companies that are transparent and fully committed to sustainability. Go for brands that source from local suppliers and have close-looped systems that minimize waste and pollution.
Check certifications: There are many types of third party certifications that provide assurance to customers like Cradle 2 Cradle (C2C) Certified, GREENGUARD, Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Oeko-Tex, or Eco3Home. These certifications cover various aspects of production regarding the environment and workers.
10 Eco-friendly Furniture Brands
Whether you're looking for a cozy 100% recyclable lounge chair or a reclaimed wood table with lots of character, there's a sustainable furniture brand for you.
Here are some of our favorite eco-friendly furniture companies that are conscious of their environmental footprint, focused on the ethics of their supply chain, and create beautiful pieces.
Medley's Naturally Modern Furniture Made to Order
Price Range: $705-$4600
Founded in 2005, Medley Furniture is handcrafted in California using eco-friendly materials such as American hardwood from FSC-certified suppliers, bamboo, foam created using either natural latex foam (certified organic by The Global Organic Latex Standard), or polyester foam certified by CertiPUR-US, and more.
Whatever piece of furniture you need, Medley has you covered with sustainable options.
They have accent chairs, accent tables, armchairs, benches, beds, bed frames, credenza, dressers, dining chairs, nightstands, ottomans, sectionals, side tables, sleeper sofas, sofa beds, sofas, stools, and many other furniture pieces.
Why I Love This Brand: They do not use harsh chemicals used in mass-produced furniture, making their furniture great for the planet and your home. Plus, I love their modern designs!
HEALTHIER HOMES NON-TOXIC FURNITURE & HOME DECOR
Price Range: $80-$2000, but use HONEST for 10% off
Healthier Homes is a one stop shop for creating a non-toxic home. This family owned company offers natural furnishings, organic décor, nontoxic paint, & all things healthier home.
Shop their furniture selection featuring natural wood tables, outdoor furniture, organization, rugs, & more.
Why I Love This Brand: Healthier Homes founder, Jen, has personal experience and is incredibly dedicated to sourcing non-toxic options.
This family owned company even builds non-toxic homes AND has written a book on how to create a home with less toxins. I sincerely trust her expertise in sourcing furniture and decor.
Use the discount code HONEST for 10% off your Healthier Homes order!
MADE TRADE: ETHICALLY MADE HOME GOODS
Price Range: $245-$6000
Made Trade is a curated online marketplace for ethically made goods including responsibly sourced furniture and home goods. Made Trade makes it easy for conscious consumers to shop their values while furnishing their home.
The variety of brands Made Trade carries gives consumers a wide range when looking for stylish furniture for furnishing their homes and creating their ideal design. Made Trade is also climate neutral certified.
Why I Love This Brand: Shoppers can sort furniture and home goods by Made in USA, Fair Trade, Heritage, Sustainable, & Vegan. This makes it easy for shoppers to find high quality furniture brands that match their values.
Savvy Rest’s Ethical Furniture Made in America
Price Range: $749-$4000
Virginia-based brand Savvy Rest offers sleek, modern sofas, loveseats, and armchairs made of organic fabrics, natural latex, sustainably-sourced maple hardwood, and zero-VOC stains.
Savvy rest allows you to customize almost every aspect of each piece including fabric (organic cotton, organic hemp, or a blend of the two), fabric color, seat cushion firmness and arm height to suit your individual style.
The furniture pieces are designed with people and the planet in mind and don’t contain chemical flame retardants, formaldehyde glue, metal coils, particle board, plywood or veneer.
Why I Love This Brand: Savvy Rest is both an employee-owned company and a certified B Corp which means it has higher social and environmental standards than the average business.
Masaya & Co. Fair Trade Artisan Made Furniture
Price Range: $175-$6000
Masaya & Co. makes furniture with a purpose. This sustainable furniture store creates handcrafted, handwoven furniture in Nicaragua using hardwood grown on their reforestation project, which manages over 1100 acres of trees.
This sustainable furniture brand’s range includes armchairs, barstools, beds, bed frames, benches, bookshelves, credenzas, desks, dining chairs, dressers, lounge chairs, love seats, nightstands, ottomans, rocking chairs, side tables, sofas and stools.
Why I Love This Brand: Each time you buy a product from Masaya & Co, they plant trees. So far, the company has planted more than 900,000 trees and currently employs 150 artisans in the region.
Sabai's Sustainable Style Made with Recycled Materials
Price range: $395-$3395
When it comes to style, comfort and sustainability, Sabai truly sets itself apart in the industry.
Ethically made in North Carolina, Sabai sources 90% of materials locally including FSC-certified wood, and Certipur-US certified foam. Sabai believes in closed-loop solutions and that’s why their furniture is made from upcycled water bottles.
The brand makes eco-friendly sofas, sectionals, loveseats and ottomans that are affordable, easy to assemble and are both modular and customizable. You get to choose the cushions, fabric and legs that will be used and the final product will be shipped to you in as little as six weeks.
Sabai aims to reduce the 12 million tons of furniture waste Americans create every year. Through their Repair Don’t Replace program, they offer repairs and replacement components so that their pieces can keep being used for longer and stay out of landfill.
Why I Love This Brand: Sabai has a Closed Loop Program that buys back old Sabai furniture, refurbishes and sells the pieces and gives the owner 20% of the revenue. This is great for reducing waste and I love how it encourages a more circular economy.
Avocado Mattress' Sustainable Wood Furniture
Price Range: $193-$2799
While best known for their mattresses, Avocado Mattress has expanded to offering sustainable furniture. This non-toxic furniture brand is determined to maintain environmentally conscious, ethical, and sustainable business practices.
They manage every part of the production of their organic, natural mattresses, from the wool to the latex – owning the farms that they come from and ensuring that they are both sustainable and ethically sourced. Along with the mattresses customers can shop bed frames, dressers, night stands, and dog beds.
All of their furniture is ethically made in Los Angeles, where this brand focuses on traditional craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology. You won’t find any nasty, VOC-emitting (volatile organic compound) glues or finishes in Avocado Mattress furniture.
Why I Love This Brand: I really appreciate how Avocado focuses on the entire home. Sustainable shoppers can purchase non-toxic furniture AND their natural mattress all in one place!
West Elm’s Sustainably Sourced Fair Trade Furniture
Price Range: $72-$13,400
West Elm is doing phenomenal things when it comes to fair trade. It’s awesome to see a big name brand taking action, educating people, and carrying fair trade and sustainable furniture, home decor, bedding, doormats, and more!
I love that West Elm really tries to make the furniture buying experience educational for consumers.
West Elm’s Responsible Retail Glossary is an incredible tool for shoppers. This glossary breaks down the symbols and vocabulary found on West Elm products including fair trade, artisan made, sustainably sourced, and more.
Consumers can easily look for the different symbols on the West Elm website and tags to know if the piece is fair trade, sustainably sourced, etc. West Elm features a lot of contemporary style pieces and mid-century modern furniture too.
Why I Love This Brand: I’ve personally purchased multiple pieces of furniture from West Elm and I’ve LOVED the quality. Their furniture is truly made to last for years! We currently have pieces from West Elm that are over five years old and still in excellent condition.
Etsy’s Handmade Furniture Supporting Small Businesses
Price Range: Varies depending on the shop
Etsy is a great way to support small businesses and bring socially responsible furniture into your home. Etsy has a wide range of reclaimed wood furniture. These are a great way to add some sustainable furniture to your home.
Look at some of their handcrafted furniture pieces as well. These can be very unique and a great way to add character to your place.
Why I Love This: This is a great opportunity to find unique pieces while supporting creative entrepreneurs!
VivaTerra's Eco-friendly Pieces for Your Home
Price Range: $59-$7499
VivaTerra is an online shop dedicated to bringing an eco-friendly lifestyle to every part of your home decor, furniture, and more.
While Viva Terra carries a wide range of furniture from suppliers with different values there are plenty of non-toxic pieces, furniture made with recyclable materials, and more.
Sustainable furniture shoppers will be able to shop for furniture by value such as reclaimed wood furniture, made in the USA, made with recycled materials, all natural, and more. Shop for coffee tables, shelving, mirrors, end tables, office furniture, bed frames, and more.
Why I Love This: The wide range of styles VivaTerra offers make this a great place for anyone to look for furniture!
Secondhand Furniture
If you're looking for other sustainable ways to furnish your home consider shopping secondhand. You can find some incredibly unique pieces at thrift stores. This is a great way to add sustainable elements to your home while on a budget!
Hopefully this guide has helped you learn what eco-friendly materials to look for when you're shopping for new furniture and discover a few ethical furniture brands using sustainable materials.
For more tips & tricks on sustainable living be sure to follow The Honest Consumer on social media, subscribe to our newsletter, & check out the Ethical & Sustainable Brand Directory.