So you want to buy Eco-friendly furniture

Keeping up with one of the major trends in today’s economy, the furniture market is now throwing their hat into the ring by offering Eco-friendly furniture to the public. Now, unless you’re an Eco-expert, you might be wondering how furniture made of wood could ever be considered “Eco-friendly.” After all, wood does come from trees….right? Luckily for us there is a set of standards that determine whether or not a piece of furniture can be considered Eco-friendly.
•    The first classification is the most obvious. Is the furniture made of some other material that is not wood-based? Using a material other than wood shows that the manufacture of this product is not using resources from nature for the sole purpose of creating furniture.
•    The second classification is a bit surprising. There is a certification that has been developed by the Forest Stewardship Council that labels a piece of furniture as Eco-Friendly. In order for a piece of furniture to be certified as Eco-friendly, the manufacturer must demonstrate that they are replanting trees in place of trees being cut down. So, just because a piece of furniture is made of wood doesn’t necessarily mean that piece isn’t Eco-friendly.
•    A final classification for Eco-friendly furniture is how much extra comes with it. Many people who are Eco-conscious believe furniture that is kind to the environment should be simple , using the bare minimum for wood, padding, vinyl, fabric, and leather. Simple styles and less-is-more design are key when considering whether a piece of furniture is Eco-friendly.
There you go. If finding furniture that is kind to the environment is very important to you, the above criteria should be helpful in your shopping endeavor.  Furniture doesn’t necessarily needed to be stamped “Eco-friendly” in order for it to be considered kind to the environment. Just look at the extras and decide if it fits into your standards.