An affordable sustainable sofa?

Can we produce an affordable sustainable sofa?

Katrina Brashares MCAD

Introduction to Sustainable Design December 1, 2015

Your beautiful toxic sofa Do you know what your sofa is made of ? Very likely a combination of formaldehyde-producing particle board, wood lacquer that releases Volatile Organic Compounds, glue made with carcinogenic ethylene oxide and a bevy of petroleum-derived products beginning with the word poly. To top it off, it’s very likely coated with cancer-causing flame retardants. Lovely, right? In this project I set out to see whether it’s possible to design a sofa composed of materials that aren’t dangerous to our health or don’t deplete natural resources or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Not only that, this sofa has to be affordable, within the range of what the average person in America might pay for a sofa. Like an Ikea sofa. Is it possible?

The truly ‘sustainable’ sofas are at the very upper end of the market costing between $2,000 and $7,500. An example of the type of company providing these sofas is Ekla Home. Ekla Home purports to use “pure non-toxic ingredients”. The furniture is made with certified organic natural latex, Eco® wool and certified organic cotton barrier cloth. All fabrics in their collection are compliant with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Additionally they are made from FSC certified wood, non-toxic adhesives, recycled steel springs and Zero VOC finishes. I’ll explore these materials and their alternatives to see if there are lower cost options that are just as eco-friendly.

What is a regular sofa made of exactly?

Cheap sofas are abundant and they are primarily composed of particle board and various polyester and polyurethane fillings which are all unsustainable, in that they have human health and safety issues and also drain natural resources without replenishing. As an example of a low-cost sofa, I am using the Ikea Ektorp, whose components I evaluated according to the Natural Step guidelines. Natural Step is a sustainability framework developed in Sweden in 1989. On the next 2 pages is a table evaluating the sofa’s components and how they violate each of the Natural Step’s Four Principles.

Material/Sustainability Principle

1: Reduce and eliminate use of substances extracted from earth’s crust

2:Reduce and eliminate use of chemicals and compounds produced by society

3:Reduce and eliminate physical degrada@on of nature and natural processes

4:Reduce and eliminate contribu@ons that undermine people’s capacity to meet basic human needs.

Fiberboard Contains formaldehyde, human carcinogen. Off-‐gassing can cause respiratory distress

Lumber product, whose extrac?on causes physical degrada?on of nature

Par?cleboard Contains formaldehyde, human carcinogen. Off-‐gassing can cause respiratory distress

Lumber product, whose extrac?on causes physical degrada?on of nature

Solid Pine Lumber product, whose extrac?on causes physical degrada?on of nature

Polyurethane Foam Petroleum Byproduct Respiratory toxin and carcinogen

Petroleum-‐based extrac?on degrades nature and burning produces greenhouse gases causing climate change

Factory workers exposed to chemicals in produc?on of polyurethane

Materials 1. Reduce and eliminate use of substances extracted from earth’s crust

2. Reduce and eliminate use of chemicals and compounds produced by society

3. Reduce and eliminate physical degrada@on of nature and natural processes

4. Reduce and eliminate contribu@ons that undermine people’s capacity to meet basic human needs.

Polyester Wadding Petroleum Product Carcinogenic chemicals from reac?on possibly retained in structure

Petroleum-‐based extrac?on degrades nature, burning produces greenhouse gases: climate change

Factory workers exposed to chemicals in produc?on of polyester

cardboard Lumber product, extrac?on causes nature’s degrada?on

Non-‐woven polypropolene

Petroleum-‐based plas?c


Factory workers exposed to chemicals in produc?on of polypropolene

Polyester Fiber Balls and hollow fibers

Petroleum Product Carcinogenic chemicals from reac?on possibly retained in structure


Factory workers exposed to chemicals in produc?on of polyester

Ikea Ektorp Natural Step Violations Continued

What green options are out there now?

The eco-friendly sofa market is fairly new; as an example, Ekla Home has been around only since 2007. Research shows that despite much recent press about flame retardants in furniture, chemical off-gassing and the unsustainability of petrochemical products such as polyester, the market for sustainable furniture has been slow to grow. Currently there are three models of sustainable sofa: 1.  The Ekla Home model: great quality, perfectly sustainable, high price 2.  Greensofas.com model: advertises FSC wood, recycled springs, non-toxic

glue, soy-based foam with the opportunity to upgrade to latex, low cost…. Upon further research possibly out of business!

3.  Crate and Barrel model: FSC certified wood, some soy-and corn-based fiber pillows, some recycled steel suspension, mid-range price($1700 for a sofa with certified sustainable hardwood and soy-based polyfoam.)

The issue is either that a truly sustainable product is only suitable for a high-end market or that the lower cost options aren’t truly sustainable.

Possible Replacement Materials Component Options Frame 1.  FSC Lumber

2.  FSC Particle Board (no added Formaldehyde)

3.  Bio-based Enviroboard

Cushions and Pillows 1.  Natural Latex 2.  Synthetic Latex 3.  Soy-based foam

Batting 1.  Wool batting 2.  Dream Green recycled plastic batting

Interior Wrapping 1.  Jute 2.  Organic Cotton

Exterior Fabric 1.  Hemp 2.  Organic Cotton 3.  Mix of Hemp and Cotton

Final Choice Materials and Cost Material Reason Chosen Cost FSC Douglas Fir sturdy and affordable

$ 195

Heirloom Wool Batting – 10 yards Fire retardant unlike Dream Green $159

Natural Latex Cushions Only true sustainable choice – soy-based foam still contains polyester

$500 (not bulk)

Jute for lining – 15 yards Sturdy and affordable $30

Hemp/Organic Cotton Cover – 25 yards

Both soft and strong $125

Recyclable Steel Springs + Clips Low cost, easy to install $50

Water-based adhesive Non-toxic $10

Jute twine and cotton thread Sustainable and sturdy $5

Tung Oil Naturally-derived varnish – no VOC’s

$5

Total $1079

Quick sketch…

What did we learn? Without the cost of labor and transportation this product is already 2.7 times more expensive than the Ikea Ektorp ($399!) on which the basic design is modeled. With economy of scale, depending on the size of the company producing the sofa, the cost of materials could drop significantly. Still, producing a sustainable sofa is expensive. At a small scale and with current materials, it’s impossible to come close to the prices of retailers such as Ikea. I ended up using very similar materials to Ekla Home - they were the best fit and price for the product’s requirements. With natural latex being one of the only viable sustainable cushion and pillow fillings on the market, it would be difficult to scale the production for a big retailer. I could have compromised and found much less expensive partially soy-based foam but it wouldn’t have been a true sustainable solution.

What needs to happen? With current market materials, a truly sustainable sofa as cheap as the Ektorp cannot exist. Until big furniture companies invest in research and development for sustainable alternatives, an affordable and environmentally-friendly sofa will not be available. When these companies adopt a fully-functioning circular economy where they are upcycling and re-using parts, the prices will drop for the consumer. My hope is that we will see more offerings from Green Chemistry with the development of bio-based plastics and bio-based wood substitute products that can be used in furniture. Not everyone can afford a beautiful Ekla sofa so furniture companies are duty bound to find healthy alternative solutions for all.

Sources

Eklahome.com Enviroboard.com Ikea.com crateandbarrel.com/environment/environmentally-friendly-upholstery.aspx Greensofas.com Envirotextile.com burlapsupply.com Simalfa.com Foamorder.com Hobbsbatting.com Oecotextiles.wordpress.com Environmental Research 1989 Apr; 48(2):154-63. Is particleboard in the home detrimental to health? Daujberg,P