As election day draws near in the U.S., we’ve been inundated daily with policy statements, procedural disagreements and Presidential candidate personality traits we love to hate.

One of the central themes of this election is climate change.

And no matter who wins on November 3, this issue will not just disappear like Covid-19 was supposed to.

Believe in it or not, the evidence of climate change is plain to see and for many of us with a liberal bend, it’s heart breaking because it’s preventable.

Climate change is a huge pie with many slices.

It’s one of those issues that gets passionately debated and widely misunderstood.

One of the slices of the climate change pie has to do with how we source and discard the furniture we live with.

It’s so much more than responsibly discarding unwanted furniture.

It’s about the origins for where the furniture comes form long before it’s thrown away.

There’s not only environmental consequences at play, there’s human and economic impacts that directly affect the planet and all of those factors are tied to where you spend your money.

If you’re looking for answers for how to lower your own environmental impact footprint, so you can shrink that climate change pie, here’s what you need to know about fair trade, non-toxic and sustainable furniture.

Fair Trade

Is a global movement consisting of producers, companies, organizations, advocates and consumers who’s focus is on putting people and the planet first.

For furniture and decor, you may see it referred to as “Fair Made”.

It’s about the creation of business that supports and empowers artisans, crafts people and makers from around the world.

By purchasing goods from Fair Trade sources, you participate in conscious choices that powerfully and positively impact the world.

And, when you buy Fair trade goods from participating sources, you’re actively helping to support the creator’s livelihood, which means you are directly helping to shape the global economy for the better.

How do you know a product is Fair Trade sourced?

When you see this seal, it indicates that, “it was made according to rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards.”

Why is Fair Trade important?

It’s important to purchase fair trade products because you’re not only supporting your fellow human’s chances for economic growth and prosperity, you’re also ensuing that they have safe working conditions and that the products produced adhere to strict standards that protect the environment.

Non- Toxic Furniture

The definition of non-toxic furniture primarily pertains to 3 broad determining factors:

• What it’s made from: materials and finishes.

• How it’s produced: the social and environmental impacts.

• And, Intended use and durability: the anticipated life span and longevity of the piece.

Why is it important to know what materials and finishes are in the furniture you buy?

Well, it’s important to understand what furniture is made from because what it’s made out of and how it’s made are two sides of the same coin.

Is the furniture made from renewable resources? That would be things like raw or recycled materials.

A raw material would be a sustainable natural material that replenishes quickly.

Bamboo and rattan are natural and strong materials that replenish in a short time and are ideal for making furniture and building products and is therefore two examples of renewable materials.

Recycled materials can be plastics, wood, salvaged materials from other furniture or deconstructed buildings or items.

In this regard, it’s products that can be reused instead of ending up in a landfill or otherwise discarded in inappropriate ways.

Renewable can also pertain to manufactured products that are made from non-petroleum based or no volatile chemical production methods.

This essentially means that the production plants follow proactive environmental impact guidelines for production and packaging.

And, many times, they’re verified and regulated by a 3rd party to ensure that the proper protocols are followed.

This leads into the second determining factor, societal and environmental impacts.

Firstly, for societal impact, this circles back to fair trade - fair made:

Are the people making the furniture paid fairly for their work?

Do they have a safe place to work?

Is there a connection to and empowerment of benefits leading to their economic security?

For the environmental impact:

is there a low carbon footprint for the products produced? Is the product transported in an environmentally responsible way? In other words, does it take a massive amount of fossil fuel to get the product to its end location?

Obviously if it does, it’s not going to make the cut for non-toxic even if the product is sustainably sourced.

The third determining factor is intended use and durability:

Is the piece made to last generations or can you expect that it is only meant to hold up a few years? If the answer is the latter, the piece is not renewable.

A good analogy would be, a solid wood cabinet that you inherited from your grandmother.

This piece can be painted, modified or refinished to continue to be useful for many years. It’s unlikely that it will end up in a landfill.

On the other hand, a particle board constructed cabinet, that cannot be modified, with a photographic laminate exterior, is likely to end up in a landfill.

If you’re not so fortunate to inherit heirloom quality furniture, you can certainly find pieces at thrift stores, estate sales or online marketplaces.

Bottom line, if you want to support a renewable, non-toxic ideology for sourcing your furniture, these 3 determining factors will help to keep your choices on a short list.

Sustainable furniture

So, sustainable has a lot of cross over with non-toxic furniture: reclaimed and reused materials, “clean” sourcing and production procedures and a low carbon footprint for transportation.

The main difference between non-toxic and sustainable furniture is that sustainable furniture has more implications for where and how the furniture is produced.

If a company claims to manufacture furniture that is chemical free and that has consciously sourced materials, but it doesn’t pay it’s workers a fair wage and thus contributes to a region’s economic stagnation or decline, then it is not sustainable.

Just because the company is in a part of the world that does not protect and support it’s workers but follows other protocols for responsible manufacturing practices, does not make it sustainable.

Rather, the business model of putting people last is not sustainable. People do not renew once they are depleted.

Flip this the other way, and a company that pays it’s workers well and has all the safety and humanitarian procedures in place but recklessly produces products that do not protect the environment, is not sustainable.

Profit above people and/ or the environment is not sustainable because both cannot renew once depleted.

Let’s put the sustainability argument to the test with an everyday analogy:

A good way to think about furniture sustainability is to consider 3 questions before buying:

If the piece is not heirloom quality, would I pay to have this piece moved to a new house?

Say you’ve had it for a while and it’s not pristine like the day you bought it. Are you going to bother transporting it to a new place?

If you’re okay putting it to the curb instead of paying to have it moved, it is not sustainable.

Can it be repaired if it gets damaged?

If it’s particle board based, you’re probably not going to invest in a repair solution, right? On the other hand, grandma’s cabinet can be repaired or modified to suite your taste and requirements.

So, if it can’t be repaired, it is not sustainable.

Is it versatile or stylish enough to get me through 20 years?

I like to use the 20 year mark because a lot of furniture can maintain it’s stylish appeal for that long and 20 years is a decent amount of time to really see how stuff holds up to daily use.

If you can’t see yourself loving the piece for 20 years and you don’t have a plan for or don’t care how to dispose of it, then it’s not sustainable.

There you have it, what is fair trade, non-toxic and sustainable furniture? Everything you need to know.

This is just a small slice of that larger climate change pie, but being more conscious of and proactive with where you spend your money on furniture, YOU can make a positive impact on the environment.

I’d love to hear if you consider larger implications when buying furniture.

How do you decide if a piece is right for you?

Leave me a comment below and tell me all about it

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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.