Pretty Little Green Things

I’ve had the idea to write this post for a while, but after an especially heated Interior Designer Chat on Twitter last week, I figured it was time to spill my real feelings about Ikea.  If you know me, you’ve probably heard a rant or two about this furniture giant.  But as was so appropriately pointed out to me last week, Ikea is not totally bad.  In fact, they do quite a lot of good.  They have brought good design to the masses in a way that no other furniture manufacturer ever has.  And they definitely try to do their eco part: from energy efficient lighting to low-VOC materials, reduced packaging and other green initiatives within their stores, Ikea definitely has a lot of good going on.

But here’s my real gripe – while I understand that all of Ikea’s pluses are totally valid and very important, I just can’t get over one thing.  Disposable furniture.  And to be absolutely fair, Ikea is not the only culprit.  Target, Walmart and Kmart, to begin with, all make incredibly cheap pieces that are just as disposable.  Most (although not all) of their furniture is so cheaply made, that even if you wanted to keep it forever, you just couldn’t.  I mean, forget about heirloom pieces, you’re lucky if they survive a move.  I understand that no one expects Ikea (or the other retailers’) furniture to last for the ages.  That’s why it’s so inexpensive, right?  But maybe my real gripe is that buying cheap, disposable furniture is our cultural norm.  And that makes me so sad.  Furniture should be treasured, not thrown in a landfill.  I wish people would realize that solving their immediate furniture need creates so many environmental problems later.

So now that we’ve gotten down to the heart of my issue, I’m going to stop scapegoating Ikea.  To their credit, they have quite a few really amazing green initiates, so let me tell you about a few of them (in no particular order):

• Finally recognizing that their furniture often ends up in a landfill, Ikea is working on improving the entire life-cycle of their products.  From using recycled/renewable/reused materials to create them and making it easier to recycle when you’re done, they’re addressing it all.
• Their famous flat packed furniture allows for more boxes to be sent in one shipment, thereby saving transportation energy and CO2 emissions.
• All of their hefty catalogs are made from recycled paper products.
• All of their stores use energy efficient lightbulbs and many of them also run on renewable energy.  Plus Ikea is working hard to get all the stores to run on renewable energy.
• Much of the wood they use in their furniture comes from sustainably managed forests.  None of it comes from illegally felled trees and they’re working with their suppliers to trace the origins of the wood back to the source.  They even send out their own forest specialists to check up on the suppliers.  They’re like tree spies!
• Never. any. child. labor.
• They do more with less.  Many of their products have been specially engineered to use fewer raw materials, not only saving those resources but also making them lighter to transport (less CO2 emissions).
• Fabrics: Ikea no longer uses no chemical brighteners, their cottons are made with less water and fewer pesticides than traditionally grown cotton and they try to use as minimize the use of chemicals in the production process.
• Energy efficient lighting including: LED bulbs, solar powered lamps and tons of CFLs for sale.
• Ikea promotes public transit from providing shuttle bus service to their stores (go Red Hook!) to premium parking for bikes and hybrids.  In Denmark they even loan out bikes with an attached trailer capable of towing about 100 pounds.  I would totally take advantage of that one if I lived in Denmark.

The list definitely goes on, but I think you get the idea.  If you’re interested in reading about all 77 green initiatives on their list, take a look here.  As for me, I’m going to challenge you to stop buying disposable furniture (although since you’re on this blog, that’s probably an easy one).  If you can get away with it, collect your furniture slowly.  Save up for the really beautiful pieces you’ve been keeping your eye on.  And look out for the great Craigslist or vintage store finds.  A well curated collection of furniture gathered over the years is so much more meaningful and interesting than any bedroom set ever could be.

As for me, I might just become an Ikea convert.

I’m going to leave you with a few Ikea installation shots to see what you can put together with their furniture.  Enjoy!  (oh and sorry about the prices and names on the pictures.  I couldn’t avoid it.)

Photos from Ikea

I’ve had the idea to write this post for a while, but after an especially heated Interior Designer Chat on Twitter last week, I figured it was time to spill my real feelings about Ikea.  If you know me, you’ve probably heard a rant or two about this furniture giant.  But as was so appropriately pointed out to me last week, Ikea is not totally bad.  In fact, they do quite a lot of good.  They have brought good design to the masses in a way that no other furniture manufacturer ever has.  And they definitely try to do their eco part: from energy efficient lighting to low-VOC materials, reduced packaging and other green initiatives within their stores, Ikea definitely has a lot of good going on.

But here’s my real gripe – while I understand that all of Ikea’s pluses are totally valid and very important, I just can’t get over one thing.  Disposable furniture.  And to be absolutely fair, Ikea is not the only culprit.  Target, Walmart and Kmart, to begin with, all make incredibly cheap pieces that are just as disposable.  Most (although not all) of their furniture is so cheaply made, that even if you wanted to keep it forever, you just couldn’t.  I mean, forget about heirloom pieces, you’re lucky if they survive a move.  I understand that no one expects Ikea (or the other retailers’) furniture to last for the ages.  That’s why it’s so inexpensive, right?  But maybe my real gripe is that buying cheap, disposable furniture is our cultural norm.  And that makes me so sad.  Furniture should be treasured, not thrown in a landfill.  I wish people would realize that solving their immediate furniture need creates so many environmental problems later.

So now that we’ve gotten down to the heart of my issue, I’m going to stop scapegoating Ikea.  To their credit, they have quite a few really amazing green initiates, so let me tell you about a few of them (in no particular order):

• Finally recognizing that their furniture often ends up in a landfill, Ikea is working on improving the entire life-cycle of their products.  From using recycled/renewable/reused materials to create them and making it easier to recycle when you’re done, they’re addressing it all.
• Their famous flat packed furniture allows for more boxes to be sent in one shipment, thereby saving transportation energy and CO2 emissions.
• All of their hefty catalogs are made from recycled paper products.
• All of their stores use energy efficient lightbulbs and many of them also run on renewable energy.  Plus Ikea is working hard to get all the stores to run on renewable energy.
• Much of the wood they use in their furniture comes from sustainably managed forests.  None of it comes from illegally felled trees and they’re working with their suppliers to trace the origins of the wood back to the source.  They even send out their own forest specialists to check up on the suppliers.  They’re like tree spies!
• Never. any. child. labor.
• They do more with less.  Many of their products have been specially engineered to use fewer raw materials, not only saving those resources but also making them lighter to transport (less CO2 emissions).
• Fabrics: Ikea no longer uses no chemical brighteners, their cottons are made with less water and fewer pesticides than traditionally grown cotton and they try to use as minimize the use of chemicals in the production process.
• Energy efficient lighting including: LED bulbs, solar powered lamps and tons of CFLs for sale.
• Ikea promotes public transit from providing shuttle bus service to their stores (go Red Hook!) to premium parking for bikes and hybrids.  In Denmark they even loan out bikes with an attached trailer capable of towing about 100 pounds.  I would totally take advantage of that one if I lived in Denmark.

The list definitely goes on, but I think you get the idea.  If you’re interested in reading about all 77 green initiatives on their list, take a look here.  As for me, I’m going to challenge you to stop buying disposable furniture (although since you’re on this blog, that’s probably an easy one).  If you can get away with it, collect your furniture slowly.  Save up for the really beautiful pieces you’ve been keeping your eye on.  And look out for the great Craigslist or vintage store finds.  A well curated collection of furniture gathered over the years is so much more meaningful and interesting than any bedroom set ever could be.

As for me, I might just become an Ikea convert.

I’m going to leave you with a few Ikea installation shots to see what you can put together with their furniture.  Enjoy!  (oh and sorry about the prices and names on the pictures.  I couldn’t avoid it.)

Photos from Ikea