Renewable Furniture Leading the Way in the Fight against the Throw-Away Society

Our consumer society has become notorious for the way we are using up natural resources at alarming and unsustainable rates. Each one of us has some responsibility for reversing this direction and helping to make things better, but ultimately it is society as a whole that must evolve in the direction of smarter consumption. Some of the most forward-thinking private institutions can be found in the furniture industry, where progressive furniture builders and designers have taken up the challenge of building renewable furniture.The use of recycled and recyclable materials in furniture building is one way that the industry is tackling the challenge of making renewable furniture. However, the most exciting development in the industry is the creation of furniture with interchangeable parts. When the material inside of a sofa cushion, or the fabric on the arm of an easy chair becomes damaged beyond repair, it can now be recycled and replaced by new identical fabric or foam pieces, while the bulk of the furniture piece is preserved. One of the hallmarks of our consumer society is the way it has filled up landfills with items that were only slightly decayed or worn out, or only had certain parts that were no longer usable while the rest of the item was still in almost perfect condition. We know now that this kind of wasteful practice has been an environmental disaster, and one that was far from inevitable. Renewable furniture with easily replaceable parts can be a big part of the solution, as perfectly good furniture frames and woodwork no longer have to be discarded just because one part of a sofa, loveseat or chair is no longer salvageable or useful. Renewable furniture by itself, of course, does not solve the problem. But it is an important step in the right direction, and an innovation that can help show the way to other industries that need to meet the challenge of becoming more sustainable.This is also one easy way consumers can begin to change their buying habits and move towards smarter purchases that are better both for the environment and their personal budgets. Buying furniture that can be easily repaired or has the option of changeable sofa fabrics means never having to purchase another sofa, chair or sectional. As styles change or furniture endures years of wear and tear, new frame pieces, cushions or fabrics can be purchased without having to replace the entire sofa. This saves money for consumers and helps limit the number of furniture items that end up in landfills each year.