Our guide to 'fast furniture': 3 ways to shop sustainably
Updated: Dec 26, 2020
What is 'fast furniture'?
As internet speeds quicken and social media saturates deeper into our lives, life is becoming faster. Trends are fleeting and products suffer even shorter shelf-lives, as the march of fashion relegates last year's looks to the outmoded discount bin. While the concept of 'fast fashion' is fairly well-known, the same consideration is rarely given to another consumer category that is just as guilty of over-consumption and waste: interiors and homeware.
Fast furniture refers to mass produced, inexpensive homeware, often rapidly churned out in response to the latest design trends peppering social media feeds. The dramatic increase in furniture consumption means the industry is heavily damaging our environment.
Read on to discover our three key suggestions to keep in mind to help you shop better, extend the life cycle of your homeware and help the planet.
To put things into perspective:
Every year the UK throws away 800,000 tonnes of furniture. Reports show that more than half of this waste could be reused: 32% of it is re-usable in its current state and 19% is re-usable if slightly repaired. (4)
80% of U.S. furniture waste goes straight to landfill, equating to 4.4 million tonnes of furniture. That includes 18 million mattresses a year. (2) (3)
An Ikea Billy bookcase is made every 3 seconds. The manufacturing alone uses over 600 tonnes of wood particle board a day. (1)
“As with anything we affix with the word “fast” – fast food, fast fashion and now the term fast furniture – there’s an over-exploitation of resources, precious minerals, metals, forestry products, to make the product. And then you’ve got another issue at the end of life. Most of it just gets thrown out.”
- Tony Walker, Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies (2)
“A familiar paradox lies at the heart of a business model that produces £15 bookcases and £2 T-shirts: how can you be sustainable while selling keenly priced products, largely made of natural resources and plastic while at the same time inviting your customers constantly to upgrade them?”
- Simon Usborne, The Guardian (5)
How to avoid fast furniture & make more considered purchasing decisions
We believe there are three key areas to consider when buying a new piece of furniture. Whilst not all of this information is immediately available, a little research into the below will help you make more informed decisions, often helping your wallet as well as the planet.
Durability: The durability of a product is highly important, ensuring the products you buy will last a long time not only means you get better economic value, it also reduces the risk of the item ending up in landfill.
Materials & Resources: It is important to consider what resources have been used to make the piece of furniture: Are they renewable? Are they proportionate to the furniture made? Are they sourced with ethical and environmental considerations in mind?
After-Life: Considering where your product will end up after consumption is directly linked to its materials. Firstly can the item be reused, sold or donated? If not, are the materials recyclable or does the company offer a collection or recycling scheme?
Buying second-hand
One key way to limit the environmental impact is to buy second-hand or up-cycled furniture. Buying second-hand extends the life of the item making it more efficient and stops new resources and materials being used in production.
Research shows that buying a new chest of drawers results in a carbon footprint 16 times higher than buying the equivalent piece second-hand. (6)
How are you battling fast furniture & making more informed choices?
We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Join the conversation by tagging us - @hutchcommunity - on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
References:
SAVE OUR SOFAS: HOW TO PREVENT 800,000 TONNES OF GOOD FURNITURE FROM ENDING UP IN LAND-FILL - https://www.thersa.org/about-us/media/2015/save-our-sofas-how-to-prevent-800000-tonnes-of-good-furniture-from-ending-up-in-land-fill
Fast furniture doesn’t have the same poor reputation as fast fashion, but it should - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-design/article-fast-furniture-doesnt-have-the-same-poor-reputation-as-fast-fashion/
US Mattress Recycling Council - https://mattressrecyclingcouncil.org/
You’ve Heard of Fast Fashion – What About Fast Furniture? - https://brightly.eco/fast-furniture-impact-on-environment/
Silly Billy: what the Ikea bookcase tells us about the true cost of fast furniture - https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/19/silly-billy-what-the-ikea-bookcase-tells-us-about-the-true-cost-of-fast-furniture
Second hand furniture is greener than new - https://www.lifestyledaily.co.uk/article/2019/10/01/second-hand-furniture-greener-new
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