What does sustainable mean in furniture? Sustainable outdoor furniture is a better choice for you and your children.

With environmental awareness being on the rise,  "sustainability" can be seen in more and more daily necessities. Those sustainable products such as modern outdoor dining furniture can sure bring many advantages to both our lives and the environment.

Sustainability is like a mindset to have minimal negative impact on the environment; and in manufacturing, it can often be done through a closed loop cycle. So what does that mean in furniture? For example, for a modern outdoor dining furniture to be considered a sustainable outdoor furniture, it needs to be designed to be reusable, be reusable after disassembling, or last for a lifetime.

As global warming and climate change become increasingly serious issues, not only have they caused the crisis of extinction to species such as polar bear, coral, just to name a few, but the greenhouse effect that comes with them is also concerning human's way of living. For instance, droughts all around the world has grown so severe that they might result in serious food crises. In response, many corporations have already made changes for those environmental issues; it's time that consumers also take their shares to protect the environment by making more friendly choices.

What are sustainable outdoor furniture materials? Wood can be more eco-friendly than you thought!

• Wood as a sustainable material
  • Wood can be very beneficial to the carbon cycle as it can store a huge amount of carbon, usually equivalent to 50% of its weight, easing off the greenhouse effect caused by the excessive amount of carbon in the atmosphere.  
     
  • Wood is a renewable resource, and it can constantly be recycled and then reused.
     
  • Wood has a rather low carbon footprint compared to other materials. According to the American wood council, it helps avoid more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon emission while building a condominium with five stories of wood-frame construction by using wood instead of steel or concrete.
     
  • The carbon accumulation rate grows as the tree grows; that is, the faster the tree grows, the more carbon it can accumulate.

• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is one of the most renowned certifications for sustainable wooden products. FSC works hard to make sure that the harvest of wood is sustainable and responsible, and that the environment endures minimal impact of those activities. Therefore, while looking for sustainable wooden outdoor furniture, remember to consider giving priority to those that are FSC certificated !
  
  • Forest Stewardship Council is an independent, non-government organization founded in 1993 by environmentalists, trade organizations, forestry workers, local residents, etc., all around the world. It is one of the most recognized international forest standards, preventing deforestation and maintaining biodiversity.
     
  • FSC certified products can be divided into three categories: FSC 100%, FSC Mix, and FSC Recycled according to the raw materials used.
     
    • FSC 100%: Wooden outdoor furniture with FSC 100% certification means that all the materials used are originated from FSC certified forests. There are 10 core principles, including proper environment, societal benefits, economic feasible management, just to name a few that need to be considered for forests to pass this FSC forest management certification. Sintai only uses FSC 100% certified wood to make sure every purchase of their sustainable outdoor furniture is sustainable and beneficial to the society.
       
    • FSC Recycled: Wooden outdoor furniture with FSC Recycled certification means that recycled materials are used on all the wood or paper components.
       
    • FSC Mix: As its name implies, wooden outdoor furniture with FSC Mix certification means that the materials used are from different sources. In addition to materials from FSC certified forests and Recycled materials, there are other materials that can be used to call controlled wood.
      
      Though controlled wood is not sourced from FSC certified forests, they are still strictly regulated by the organization.

Most sustainable outdoor furniture is regulated with strict standards. In addition to FSC certification, consumers can also look for the following certification:
 

• Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE)
   
• Green Housekeeping Seal of Approval
   
• Green Label Plus
   
• GREENGUARD Certified
   
• Rediscovered Wood Certification, Rainforest Alliance

How to buy sustainable outdoor furniture? Tips for you when shopping for eco-friendly outdoor furniture.

As more and more corporations have started to invest in manufacturing sustainable outdoor furniture, it wouldn't be too hard for consumers to find their ideal ones as there are various choices. Before selling FSC certified furniture to consumers, it's also important to understand the common problems that they might encounter while shopping for their eco-friendly outdoor furniture.

• Price
   
  • In order to be FSC certified, manufacturers need to put in more resources to make sure that every part of the process, such as assembly line, label, and material storage, meets those requirements. Therefore, compared to outdoor furniture without FSC certification, FSC certified ones are usually 10-20% more expensive.
     
  • However, the exact price still varies according to the quality and materials of the sustainable outdoor furniture. For example, the price of a modern outdoor dining furniture set could range from 900 to 2000 USD. By looking up FSC certified furniture made with different wood types, consumers can easily find affordable and sustainable outdoor furniture that fits their needs!

• Sales channel
   
  • West Elm: high-end furniture and home decor company known for trendy and modern designs. They are also environmentally conscious that over half of their wood furniture and 100% of their all-cotton beddings are sustainably sourced.
     
  • Crate & Barrel: a leading contemporary furniture company originated in Chicago. They are known for their professional sales consultant team and high quality in-store experience.
     
  • Pottery Barn: a popular furniture and home decor company with a more affordable price range but stable quality. Some famous sub-brands include PB apartment, PB baby, PB kids, PB teen, and PB dorm.
     
  • Target: one of the biggest retailers in the US, ranking No.8. 
     
  • CB2: a high-end furniture design company under Crate & Barrel. This brand is known for its bold and "no limited" design. There are also many exclusive editions and partnerships with other trendy brands.
     
  • Costco: one of the world's biggest membership-only wholesalers. Here consumers can find affordable furniture in a wide variety of styles and brands.

• Other things to pay attention to
   
  • What materials and chemicals are used in the piece?
     
  • What finishes add color or sell the item?
     
  • What is the carbon footprint of this modern outdoor dining furniture?

Sustainable outdoor furniture brands that are loved by consumers

To acquire FSC certification, rigorous procedures are needed. For example, FSC certified wood and non FSC certified wood need to be separately stored throughout the process, from storage, temporary storage, to the production line. Therefore, it takes twice the amount of resources compared to manufacturers that only use FSC certified wood.

After the first issuance of FSC certificate, the organization will send auditors to undergo a three-days inspection each year to make sure that everything is up-to-date and still meets regulatory compliance. They will also trace the invoices of past and current products and make sure that the quantity of each raw material corresponds to those on the purchase order.

• About Sintai
   
  • It's been 30 years since Sintai was founded; the founder has always adored wood and been studying wood for a long time. Noticing the importance of wood to the environment, the founder has also spent much effort on providing FSC certified furniture, making Sintai one of the first manufacturers to provide FSC certified furniture in China. So far 75% of their sustainable outdoor furniture wood is FSC certified.
     
  • Materials used on Sintai's sustainable outdoor wood furniture are either FSC certified or third-party laboratory certified, and can pass quality standards required from their customers. In this industry, Target's internal certification system is regarded as one of the highest standards as it includes product risk analysis, first item inspection, incoming quality control, online quality control, labor safety precautions, just to name a few. Sintai is a qualified vendor of Target and has been shipping their products to Target for several years. 
     
  • As mentioned, manufacturing FSC certified furniture requires separate production lines from non FSC certified furniture; and because of this, Sintai needs to put in extra hidden costs of around $200,000 USD every year. Sintai has devoted itself to producing quality modern outdoor dining furniture and continues to work on building a more sustainable business. To give our children a better and greener future, Sintai also plans to launch a tree planting project with the environmental foundation in 2022, where they will plant two trees for every single tree used for their production.

Make an easy contribution to the earth by adopting sustainable outdoor furniture!

During the 2021 Conference of Parties (COP26), Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan stated that the Glasgow Climate Pact is too moderate and weak and that the goal to maintain global warming within 1.5 degree Celsius has not been valued enough. In order to really ease up the risks posed by global warming and climate change, "carbon reduction" has become a common and urgent goal for governments, corporations, and the world.

To develop sustainably and provide a better future for our children, Sintai has been working on providing FSC certified furniture since 2000. By using FSC certified materials, forests are better protected and less carbon emissions are produced.

Sintai has also been working with famous retailers like West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel for a long time, providing them sustainable outdoor furniture. Those sustainable outdoor furniture is not only FSC certified, but they also come with all kinds of styles, patterns..

Trying to provide your customers with better quality and sustainable outdoor furniture? You can easily find FSC certified furniture with Sintai! Click here for the latest design