Where to Buy Ethical, Sustainable, & Fair Trade Furniture?

We recently moved into a new apartment and I wanted to take the time to find ethical furniture brands using eco-friendly materials. We chose to invest in high quality furniture that would last us a lifetime, that was earth-friendly, and made with fair trade practices.

This sustainable furniture guide shares our journey finding ethical & eco-friendly furniture brands.

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Is responsibly made furniture worth the time and the extra money?

After receiving our made to order and ethically made furniture I am so impressed with how well these pieces are made and know they were 100% worth the investment.

However, for about the first three weeks after moving into our apartment we were living out of our suitcases due to the fact that we opted for some made to order and fair trade furniture.

Obviously these pieces do not show up on your doorstep overnight.

*Disclaimer this isn't an image of our home, haha, we all know I'm not that organized.

And ironically enough, even as an advocate for slow fashion and conscious living, I'm a very impatient person, haha.

Honestly, I think we're all impatient due to our fast paced society and American culture.

Needless to say, it's been tricky for me to practice patience in waiting for our furniture to show up so we can get organized.

However, it has made me reflect on consumerism and our demand for instantaneity and how it can sometimes make us compromise on the quality of our goods.

Is Ethically Made Furniture High Quality?

Sure, we could've easily gone out and picked up (or ordered) some questionable furniture with that "Made in China" sticker and probably had it within a day or two.

Yes, that would've been the easiest option and the most reasonable for my instant sanity, but my values and most likely the quality of the product would have been compromised.

Instead I wanted us to invest in high quality furniture that is built to last.

The thing is, furniture is generally expensive (even if you opt for the imported stuff it's still not always cheap price wise), so why wouldn't you want to invest in quality pieces that can be cherished in your home, taken with you on the next move, and passed down?

Is Fair Trade Furniture More Expensive?

I get it, budget can be a huge factory. But I think it's worth patiently saving up to purchase high quality goods....even if it does test your patience.

Like I said these pieces are furniture that can move with you through life due to the high quality and durability.

Where to Find Affordable Sustainable Furniture

Another more affordable option is secondhand. When I furnished my very own apartment in college, I didn't really have much flexibility with my funds, but I practiced sustainable furnishing by hitting up the secondhand stores and antique malls.

You can find some good quality furniture there that is durable, unique, and a bargain. Secondhand furniture is a great way to add a bit of character to your home.

As most of you know this guide to purchasing ethical & sustainable furniture is long over due! I kept waiting until our apartment was “put together” but honestly moving is an expensive process and our place probably won’t be fully put together for a while because we’re spacing out our purchases and choosing responsibly.

BUT we do have most of our furniture in! And hunting for ethical, eco-friendly, & fair trade furniture was tricky!

But here are a few socially responsible furniture brands I found while shopping. I’ve also put together a apartment tour video highlighting the fair trade and sustainable furniture we ended up purchasing.

Where to buy fair trade & sustainable furniture?

Through my research and shopping these are some places I’ve found eco-friendly and fair trade furniture.

West Elm: Fair Trade, Sustainable, & Artisan Made Furniture

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, 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.

The “Our Commitment” page is incredibly helpful too! West Elm has a FABULOUS line of Fair Trade Certified and sustainably sourced furniture, bedding, and home decor. Seriously, their choices are gorgeous, although pretty pricey. Shoppers definitely get what they pay for with West Elm.

As you’ll see in the home tour video, a lot of our furniture was from West Elm including our night stands, dining table, coffee table, & more. We were very impressed with the quality of goods and the ethics.

Medley Sustainable Furniture Made in California

Medley is a made to order furniture brand sustainably crafting their products in California. Sustainable shoppers can find beds, nightstands, sofas, accent chairs, office furniture, and more.

Medley works with local craftspeople who bring every piece to life by hand and with special expertise, continuing a time-honored practice built on skill, patience, and creativity that produces long-lasting, beautiful furniture.

Medley uses a range of sustainable materials including wood from FSC-certified forests, bamboo, CertiPUR-US®-certified Foam, Organic Natural Dunlop Latex, jute, organic cotton, and more.

Healthier Homes Non-Toxic Furniture & Home Decor

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.

Use the discount code HONEST for 10% off your Healthier Homes order!

Made Trade: Ethically Made Home Goods

Made Trade is a curated online marketplace for exceptionally designed, ethically made goods.

Shop with true transparency and discover responsibly sourced furniture and home goods.

Made Trade makes it easy for conscious consumers to shop their values while furnishing their home. Shoppers can easily sort furniture and home goods by Made in USA, Fair Trade, Heritage, Sustainable, & Vegan.

The variety of brands Made Trade carries gives consumers a wide range when furnishing their homes and creating their ideal design.

Savvy Rest: A Tree Planted with Each Purchase of Furniture

Savvy Rest crafts ethical bedding, mattresses, and furniture using organic and natural materials, while giving back through multiple social impact initiatives. 

Savvy Rest is an employee owned company which encourages employees to share the values and strive to make a difference. 

This is a wonderful company that values their customers, employees, and the environment. Savvy Rest increases their environmental impact by partnering with American Forrests to plant five trees with every purchase made.

Shop Small with Etsy’s Reclaimed Wood Furniture

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.

Reto Made to Order Furniture by Joybird

Joybird’s made to order furniture is crafted using responsibly sourced materials. With each furniture order Joybird plants tree as part of their give back initiative. So far Joybird has planted over 400,000 trees!

Joybird’s has corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, a warehouse distribution in San Diego, and manufacturing facilities in Tijuana, Mexico, this ethical furniture brand is working to reduce their carbon footprint & help grow local communities by providing well-paying jobs, benefits, and a positive work environment.

We actually purchased the Simic Media Console and we love it!

Novica: Unique Fair Trade Pieces

NOVICA partners with artisans around the world and connects customers to fair trade pieces.

While NOVICA’s furniture section focuses on smaller items such as chairs, accent tables, and storage, there are some truly unique items that bring culture from around the world the customers home.

Sustainable Style from Secondhand Stores

When I was furnishing my first apartment in college, I didn’t have the budget to buy from some of the higher end brands. Secondhand stores were great for finding furniture on a budget! Support the circular economy and find those beautiful pieces a new home!

This also helps keep furniture out of landfills which is great.

The Ethical & Eco-friendly Furniture We Purchase for Our Apartment

Fair Trade Dining Table from West Elm

West Elm has a FABULOUS line of fair trade and sustainably sourced furniture, bedding, and home decor. Seriously, their choices are gorgeous, although pretty pricey. Shoppers definitely get what they pay for with West Elm.

We purchased fair trade & artisan made rugs, fair trade & organic bedding, a sustainably sourced coffee table, a fair trade dining table, & sustainably sourced desks from West Elm.

And we have been SO pleased with the quality. Like WOW. Beautiful pieces & incredibly durable. After having our furniture for eight months, I can tell these pieces are built to last.

I love that West Elm really tries to make the furniture buying experience educational for consumers.

When we received our pieces each came with a tag explaining the social impact it had.

Our fair trade rug came with a picture of the artisan and explained how fair trade makes a difference.

I am really impressed with what West Elm has to offer. It’s refreshing too see a big name brand taking strides to educate consumers & be socially responsible.

Specific West Elm pieces from our Home Tour video: Bedding, Dining Table, Coffee Table, & Desk.

Sustainable Home Decor

While we didn’t end up purchasing any furniture from Etsy, they have an excellent selection. They have a lot of furniture made from reclaimed wood. We have purchased shelves, frames, and art from Etsy. Etsy is a great place to support small businesses and makers, while finding unique pieces for your home.

Organic Choices from Wayfair

I purchased the organic wool bar stools from Wayfair. While I was in college I also purchased a couch from Wayfair that was made in America.

While made in America furniture does not guarantee the workers were paid ethical wages, I think it is a good starting point since Wayfair does not provide too many specifics regarding the ethics of their pieces.

Made in America also means the carbon footprint of the furniture is lower because the item is not imported and shipped from abroad.

Joybird: Made to Order Retro Media Console

As mentioned above Joybird’s made to order furniture is crafted using responsibly sourced materials. We ordered the our media console from Joybird and I am in LOVE with it. The Simic Media Console is a gorgeous, yet practical piece made from walnut wood.

We love the sliding doors that allow us to hideaway our board games, movies, and more. The mid-century style fit well in our living room.