3 Ways You Can Help The Environment When Shopping For Your Home
Buying new items for your home can be an exciting time, but many of us are worried about how our shopping habits are impacting the environment. With endless options of furniture companies and furniture manufacturers out there, how can you choose one that supports your wish to be as eco-friendly as possible?
Here we look at three ways you can shop for new furniture without feeling guilty.
Buy From Sustainable Furniture Companies
It’s not just important to research the company that you’re opting for when it comes to buying bespoke furniture for your home, but you also need to look into the materials they use. These can have a big impact on its eco-friendly rating. Are they working with recycled or sustainable materials? Are they importing all of their materials from overseas? If the furniture manufacturer you’re looking at doesn’t have an environmental policy you agree with, it may be best you look at other companies for your bespoke furniture.
As well as looking at where the materials come from, you should also avoid buying furniture that comes from unsustainable sources, such as plastic. Instead, try to buy wooden furniture as much as possible as this will not only last the test of time but will also be more likely to be eco-friendly.
Shop Local
Looking at the footprint of where your items come from is really important. If all of the goods your chosen furniture company sells are imported from abroad, just imagine the impact this is having on the environment – and you buying from them is just encouraging this. Instead look for a local shop with the majority of their furniture pieces made locally. When you shop locally, you’re also more likely to be supporting an SME, which can also have a great impact on your local economy, as well as bringing a big smile to the face of the small business owner!
Shop Less Frequently
We all want to find the perfect bespoke furniture pieces or modern furniture that fits with our interiors. But as trends and tastes change, we need to reduce the amount of times we buy new furniture. Shopping for new pieces every time we change our minds on the style we want for our home can have a terrible impact on the environment and play into the ‘waste culture’ that is so present in today’s society. Instead, try to shop less frequently. When you shop for well made, timeless pieces or custom-made furniture you won’t have to buy new items so often, which will help the environment - and your wallet!
Making conscious choices when it comes to what furniture manufacturer you support or looking further into the design of your bespoke kitchen furniture can really help improve the impact you’re making on the environment. Hopefully these three steps will help put you on the right path to becoming a greener shopper for your home.
- Hozefa Poonawala
