Sustainable Desk Chairs

Did you know that many Contract Furniture Companies have been leading the way in sustainability for many years? They are very innovative and forward thinking in the development on their products. The company may choose to have a Life Cycle Assessment done on each chair design before they even produce it.

A Life Cycle Assessment is evaluating the chair’s lifelong impact on the environment, from the chair’s production to the time we throw it away ten or fifteen years down the road. During Life Cycle Assessment, the following may be taken into consideration: the impact on global warming, acid rain, eutrophication (loss of plants and animals in aquatic ecosystems due to loss of oxygen after algae blooms ,which are caused by pollution), air pollution, resource depletion, land and water toxicity and waste. Can you believe that a simple desk chair can possibly affect us and the earth in all these ways?

As you can see, many things are taken into consideration on how sustainable a product really is. Here are just a few things that you may want to look for before purchasing your new desk chair.

Materials: What materials are put into the chair may be determined based upon their environmental impact. Many chairs today contain a percentage of post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled content, which can be found in the plastics or even the fabrics!

Toxic Emissions: Next, what toxic emissions may be released during production are taken into account, such as toxic mercury, PVCs, asbestos, solvents, CFCs, PBBs, methylene chloride, formaldehyde or HCFCs. The goal is to have as little or no VOCs emitted during the manufacturing process and the life of the product. So this means that many of these harmful chemicals may continue to be emitted into the air after it has been delivered to your house or office, even after it’s been sitting there for awhile!

Certifications: Some key ways to tell what sustainability measures a company has looked into would be by the certifications a product has received. Some common certifications to look for are: GreenGuard Certification (promotes healthy indoor air quality), Indoor Advantage certification for indoor air quality, Cradle to Cradle certification, and even if it may help contribute towards LEED!

Recycle: Finally, find out if the chair can be recycled when you are finished with it. Many furniture companies offer to recycle the chair for you, but this may require a cost. If you do not have a large quantity of chairs, you may want to consider donating it or selling it. This is just as environmentally friendly as recycling it!

Enjoy your new environmentally friendly desk chair!