What Does Sustainable Wood Mean in Furniture?

It’s almost impossible to go a whole day without relying on wood in some shape or form. Whether it’s writing on paper, reading a book, visiting an old timber building or enjoying some of our English pine furniture, this humble material has been the backbone of our lives for many centuries.

However, despite wood’s importance to all of us, we continue to lose forests globally each year. That’s why it’s so important that we all commit to using only sustainable woods – but what does this mean, and how can you tell a sustainable wood from an unsustainable one?

What Makes Wood Sustainable?

According to the United Nations, from 2010 to 2015, the world lost 3.3 million hectares of forest per year – that’s the equivalent of destroying Yellowstone National Park every year, plus a bit more.

We sometimes take wood’s sustainability for granted, but it’s not so simple. Wood itself isn’t sustainable – once produced, it cannot be remoulded like some metals. Wood naturally degrades in a way that’s better for the environment than other materials, but wood itself doesn’t give birth to more wood without proper care.

The key to wood’s sustainability, therefore, is the careful management of forests. Wood becomes sustainable when policies are put in place to ensure the land from which trees are taken is protected. Future trees need to be grown and flourish in the place of those taken down, not just as future building materials but as parts of the wider ecosystem.

Are All Woods Sustainable?

Wood isn’t inherently sustainable – it’s the careful practices of forest managers that create the cycle of renewal when trees are taken from the Earth. However, in this moment, most of the wood used globally isn’t being grown sustainably.

According to a UN report, in 2017, less than one-third of global industrial roundwood (cut trees before being processed into products or fuel) was certified under a recognised forest sustainability scheme. That means the majority of wood is still being produced either illegally or unsustainably through things such as deforestation for agriculture, the main cause of global deforestation.

While the vast majority of certified sustainable wood comes from North America and Europe, many of the products we use come from other regions. Therefore, it’s very likely that most of us are still using unsustainably-sourced wood in our daily lives, often without realising.

As an example, you may consider buying cheap wooden furniture online, with the belief that you are helping the environment by choosing wood. However, if you are buying a cheap product made in a country such as China, there’s a chance that the wood being used is unsustainably farmed.

What About Reclaimed Wood?

An alternative to new wood products, of course, is reclaimed wood. These are products using wood initially produced for something else. Because the wood has already been produced, this can be more sustainable than buying new products.

Reclaimed wood furniture is becoming increasingly common, and we have some products made in this way at Stanwick & Co., such as our Reclaimed Pine Farmhouse Tables.

How to Tell if a Wood Product is Sustainable

Currently, the best way to ensure the wood in your new products is being sustainably cultivated is to look for third-party certifications.

The most widely recognised forestry certification is from the Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC. You will often see their logo on various wood products, from furniture to books and cardboard packaging. However, there are similar certifications in different regions, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) in North America and PEFC in Europe.

A product certified by one of these recognised forestry organisations is one where the wood used has been sourced sustainably, often with zero net loss of forest – when trees are cut down for wood, work is done to replace them.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for new wooden furniture, look out for products using certified or reclaimed woods. Also, make sure you look for quality craftsmanship and longevity – having to replace your wooden chairs every few years is less sustainable than buying an excellently-crafted chair that can last a lifetime. This is the kind of sustainability we strive for at Stanwick & Co.