Sustainability

It has quite rightly become a staple objective for any business these days, but like many new ideas, the meaning and manifestation of ‘sustainability’ can vary wildly. For the cynical it’s anything that allows the use of the word ‘sustainable’ on the packet. For others it’s an intellectual fight between humanity and nature where only zero impact is success. But to be truly sustainable we need too look beyond the literal and the ideal and towards objective review of material, practices and products that are repeatable, renewable, repairable. 

Sustainable or Suspect!

The development of sustainability is a path with many a potholes, but the word can be stretched to cover a wide spectrum. Biodegradable is one that has been used liberally. A new wonder product might biodegrade, but in what conditions and over how long? If it takes 100 years or complex systems does it really solve the problem? And what are the lasting impacts of this new wonder material? Plastic, RAAC and asbestos were all once wonder products. The test of time cannot be underestimated.

Recycling is another misinterpreted term. Something might be built using ‘100% recycled material’ or from things that were just going to be skipped, but how sustainable is that system really? If a product relies on a waste product, it doesn’t reduce waste, it create more of a demand for it. Often the initial waste product itself needs to be made from ‘virgin’ materials. And what happens to the recycled plastic bottles table once that’s come to the end of it’s life? Aren’t we just putting off the inevitable?

Then there are the non-scalable processes. Rewilding and only using natures ‘fallen fruits’ are definitely part of the answer. From wind fallen trees, and foraging to ancient farming practices, we might as well make use this natural resources, waste and processes. But how repeatable are these for Earth’s 7 billion of us. Some of these processes need to be cultivated productively, and if we only used fallen trees to build and heat ourselves, a lot of us would be cold and homeless.

But what does it mean for furniture? As makers, I believe we need to think not just about the process immediately before and after the building of a piece, but one, two maybe three-hundred years either side. Are our materials, processes and end products repeatable, reusable, repairable?

Materials

Solid woods have definitely stood the test of time. Well looked after it lasts for hundreds if not thousands of years. From buildings to keepsake boxes, it’s strong, flexible and with various treatments can be used in a plethora of scenarios. Managed well, it can be mass produced not only as a resource, but as a store of carbon and part of a wider diverse ecosystem - a walk in the woods does wonders for the soul.

Processes

And because wood has been used for millennia for all sorts of reasons, we’ve got a really good understanding of it’s capabilities. By using traditional joinery techniques, we can be certain how it will cope with life’s stresses. That doesn’t mean our designs have to be restrained by history, that we need to remain in the past. That knowledge developed over hundreds of years alongside modern life and that development can and must continue. Inventions aren’t always built on firm footings, but innovation has a wealth of knowledge behind it.

Products

There’s really no point in drawing on a wealth of historical knowledge or creating renewable raw materials, if the end product isn’t one that will last. That doesn’t just mean strength, it means utility. Not just for modern life but future lives. It means timeless design that would suit a room 100 years ago, now, and 100 years from now. But most importantly, it means being repairable. Life isn’t always smooth, and accidents happen, but solid wood is one of the most repairable materials we have. Plastics degrade and once broken are hard to repair or replace. Even ‘wood based’ materials such as MDF and chipboard, can sometimes be replaced like for like, but are hard to repair so end up as landfill. Solid woods can be repaired in small or large sections with minimal visual impact. And when’s it’s eventually beyond repair, it will genuinely decompose.

So, truly sustainable furniture is one that continues the millennia long history of human knowledge, that impacts positively on lives when it is around and for hundreds of years, but when it’s gone, one that leaves no trace, only to start the process again. Solid wood is the only real solution.