In 2023, doing our bit for the environment is more important than ever. But how can we all reduce, reuse, recycle and restore for truly sustainable interior design? As my dad always says ‘buy well, buy less, buy once,’ its something we can all contribute to when thinking about interior design. Below we are going to look at some great retailers, that encourage this ethos and some top tips on how we can all do our bit for sustainable living.
Sustainable retailers
Shopping locally is a fantastic way to find unique pieces for your home. There are also some great global companies that support sustainable living.
Heal’s has produced a collection using recycled ocean plastics and yarns from fashion industry waste.
The sofa company Swyft, arrives hassle free (it comes in a box, with components that slot together so no need for complicated tools). It’s also a particularly climate conscious brand. For every purchase made, Swyft offsets the average carbon footprint of the products purchased, plus Swyft only uses traceable, certified, woods when manufacturing their sofas.
British brand Sebastian Cox designs furniture, with a nature-first perspective. For every product in its shop, it calculates its environmental impact using their Life Cycle Assessment, plus every product listed is shown with its carbon value.
Interiors brand Weaver Green understands the severity of the world’s plastic pollution problem – that’s why it’s doing its bit to help. All Weaver Green’s textiles and home accessories look and feel like materials such as cotton and wool, but are made from 100% recyclable materials. In fact, they are responsible for recycling over 80 million plastic bottles and turning them into beautiful, contemporary home textiles.
Eco-friendly paint brands
Coat Paint is the only UK paint brand with a B Corp Certification. It’s paint range is 100% Low-VOC Water-Based, where the packaging is also 100% recyclable.
A fantastic eco-friendly paint brand, Frenchic paint has all its ingredients on the tin, for full transparency. There are no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), solvents or toxins inside, and the smell is minimal, making the brand an ideal choice for indoor painting. Frenchic is also EN:71-3 certified, meaning the paint is completely safe to use on children’s furniture.
Little Greene paint have always been committed to the ongoing well-being and protection of the world environment. From big business decisions to the smallest everyday tasks, they continue to act positively and responsibly to minimise the ecological impact, without compromising their high quality standards.
second hand and upcycling
Facebook marketplace is still such an accessible place to find some second hand gems on your doorstep. Whether you use it as you find it, or a bit of upcycling to give it a new lease of life, its great to give second hand items a second chance.
Vinterior is a second-hand online marketplace for more high-end vintage and antique furniture. It’s the place to go for unique, velvet, antique finds that add a bit of soul and history to your space.
Used Kitchen Exchange is a discount kitchen marketplace offering approved used and ex-display kitchens for sale at affordable prices. There is something for all budgets, with complete kitchens starting from £1500 to designer kitchens at drastically reduced prices. This is a great way to be more sustainable with buying and selling unwanted products.
Top tips to look out for
Keep an eye out for these codes/symbols when considering sustainability:
- FSC Certified — Ensures there’s been an ethical and sustainable sourcing of the wood
- B Corp — This is an accreditation which proves a brand has made sustainable efforts but in planet and people
- GOTS — This is the standard accreditation of organic cotton
- Low VOCS — VOCs refer to Volatile Organic Compounds, and it’s usually found in newly bought furniture like sofas, as well as paints, and wood stains. You’ll want to look out for Low VOC levels.
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