Sustainability is no longer a niche topic. Climate change and related concerns about the future of our planet are increasingly leading to a change in values in our society and encouraging everyone to adopt more environmentally friendly practices in their everyday lives. Terms like fast fashion or fast food are on everyone’s lips. However, there is hardly any talk about fast furniture and the problems associated with excessive consumption of furniture.
What is Fast Furniture?
The term “Fast Furniture” refers to pieces of furniture and furnishings that are produced quickly and cheaply. This furniture is often of low quality and manufactured in large quantities. Fast Furniture furniture is often made of difficult-to-recycle composite materials or low-quality wood waste and is designed to have a short lifespan. Sometimes they can't even withstand a move before they have to be disposed of in landfills. The similarities between fast furniture and fast fashion are hard to miss. Just like the consequences of this excessive consumption:
pollutants
Unfortunately, Fast & Fruniture and pollution go hand in hand. Fast Furniture upholstered furniture, for example, is often filled with polyurethane foam. PU foam is not only toxic during production but can release so-called volatile organic compounds, which can have a harmful effect on the human nervous system .
Deforestation & Excessive Resource Consumption
Virgin forests around the world are often illegally logged to make furniture. The processing of wood for a piece of furniture is also resource and energy intensive.
disposal
Due to the short lifespan of Fast Furniture products, huge quantities end up in bulky waste. Ideally, pieces of furniture should be able to be recycled and prepared for reuse. Unfortunately, this is not the case with most Fast Furniture furniture. They often contain adhesives, varnishes and other harmful substances that make recycling difficult or even impossible.
Supply chain issues and human rights violations
In Europe, there are much stricter laws regarding furniture manufacturing. However, in countries such as India, China and Bangladesh, serious supply chain issues can occur. This may include workers of all ages who are exposed to toxic chemicals, receive unfair wages, or find themselves in other dangerous situations.
Image 1: The impacts of fast furniture not only include pollutants, deforestation and disposal problems.
Vintage as an alternative to fast furniture
Vintage furniture is not only stylish, but also more sustainable than newly manufactured furniture and can represent a real alternative to fast furniture products. Buying vintage furniture helps reduce waste and saves resources. In addition, vintage furniture is often of higher quality than newly produced furniture. For example, more massive and durable materials were used than today. The craftsmanship was also often of a higher standard. Overall, furniture was produced to be used for as long as possible and can usually be repaired and restored with a little skill.
If you are looking for vintage interior pieces, you should pay attention to the following features:
- used material
- Processing of the piece of furniture
- Condition*
*Even if the condition of a piece of furniture is not great, a little paint can make a piece of wood shine in a whole new splendor. Upholstered furniture can be re-covered and a patina can also look good.
Literature, photo credits & sources:
Fast Furniture (2020).How cheap furniture destroys precious forests Retrieved on July 23, 2023 from https://www.zdf.de/documentation/planet-e/planet-e-fast-furniture-100.html
Bailey Berg (2021). The Fast Furniture Problem. Retrieved July 24, 2023 from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/sustainability-fast-furniture
Debra Kamin (2022). Fast Furniture' Is Cheap. And Americans Are Throwing It in the Trash. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/realestate/fast-furniture-clogged-landfills.html
Image 1: Tandlas
Image 2: Tandlas