The Environment Gets A Seat At The Table

The designer furniture industry is going green by looking at ways to create, manufacture and sell pieces in a sustainable manner.

- Low Shiping

At first glance, the designer furniture industry looks like every tree-hugger’s worst nightmare.

Wood is used to make the frames — at times, the entire article — while animal leather, chosen both for its durability and luxurious aesthetic, often envelops the piece. Textiles are used liberally, especially for chairs, sofas and beds, and the process of manufacturing them can be environmentally damaging if not done with care.

But it is heartening to see that sustainability is fast becoming a core value for many brands in the industry.

Earlier this year, Italian market leader Cassina rolled out the first innovations from Cassina Lab as part of its 2020 collection, where all its new sofas had cushion padding created from a 100-percent recycled fibre made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that’s mainly recovered from the sea.

This is a project it has been working on for the past two years in collaboration with Poli.design at Milan Polytechnic. One of its main objectives is to identify innovative and sustainable materials to manufacture Cassina’s new and existing products.

CEO Luca Fuso says that the endeavour also focuses on enhancing the well-being of homes, such as introducing features like sound absorption and air purification into its products.

“We were convinced that it was fundamental to start researching how we could look towards the future and make a change in the furniture design sector.”