What is Sustainable Wood? Finding Forest-Friendly Furniture

I often hear, "wood furniture is sustainable, right?". The short answer is, maybe, maybe not. It depends on how the wood is sourced or harvested. There are three main things to look for when you're shopping for sustainable wood furniture. 

But first, let's take a quick look at the impact of regular furniture versus forest-friendly furniture, and why it matters. Feel free to skip down to the "3 things to look for" if you already see the forest for the trees.

Globally, about 24 million acres are deforested every year. That's roughly the size of Portugal. The furniture industry is the 3rd largest consumer of wood, right behind paper and construction. Ikea alone consumes approximately 1% of all timber. About 60% of all furniture is made of wood. Much of the timber comes from tropical forests, where the most deforestation is happening.

But Eastern European and North American forests are suffering from unsustainable logging too, including irreplaceable old-growth trees. While the US isn't hit the hardest, there was a 17% decrease in forests in the US from 2000 - 2023. 

Loss of forests deeply impacts the climate, people, and biodiversity.

Climate: Forests are powerful absorbers of carbon. Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air when they're alive, and release it when they're cut. Reducing deforestation is globally recognized as one of the most affordable and effective solutions for fighting climate change.

People: 1.6 billion people, including nearly 70 million Indigenous Peoples, rely on forests for their livelihoods. Forest dependent people lose their sources of food, income, and culture. Deforestation also affects local temperatures and rainfall in ways that can worsen the local impacts of global climate change.

Biodiversity: Forests are home to more biodiversity than any other land-based ecosystem. We would all probably agree forest animals and plants deserve to live and thrive in their natural environments. When forests are destroyed, so are the homes and lives of countless creatures.

The 3 Types of Sustainable Wood for Forest-Friendly Furniture

Traceable, Certified Wood

Certified sustainable wood is traceable to responsibly managed forests, where tree regeneration and biodiversity are protected. Preferably, the forest is independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-certified). 

Sometimes furniture makers use wood from suppliers making similar assurances, but it's difficult to trace and verify.

We only source wood furniture with certification or verifiable sustainability claims. Danish brand Mater makes a wide range of FSC-certified furniture, like these Accent tables from our collection.

Reclaimed Wood

An alternative to cutting trees for new wood, reclaimed wood is sourced from old buildings or wood products. Instead of being discarded in a dump or burned, it's repurposed and given a new life through re-use in furniture making.

Choosing reclaimed wood rather than new helps reduce the 500 million tons of construction waste generated each year.

Fans also love the character and unique history embodied in every piece of reclaimed wood furniture. Our brand partner Formr creates unique reclaimed pieces, including the Assemblage side table, pictured here.

Salvaged Wood

Sustainable wood can be salvaged from naturally fallen trees or trees removed for development. Like reclaimed wood, salvaged wood is a forest-friendly alternative to harvesting new trees.

We've all seen beautiful trees come down in storms, or cut when a mall springs up. Craftsmen and furniture shoppers alike appreciate the special journey behind each piece of salvaged timber.

A highlight of the salvage story is that making trees into furniture keeps carbon stored, instead of releasing it through chipping, burning or landfilling. We work with a network of salvaged wood furniture studios across the country.

You can be confident that all UrbisEco Home's furniture is sustainable and forest-friendly. Our love of trees and nature is the root inspiration for founding our company.