10 Sustainable & Ethical Sofa Brands
Comfortable couches you can feel good about in 2024
Comfortable Couches You Can Feel Good About in 2024
I’ve been keeping a close eye on the sustainable furniture market since I moved into my first studio apartment in Portland back in 2018, and at the time, it was pretty tricky to find more than a couple of options that were tasteful, comfortable, and made with the planet in mind. Naturally, I’m so happy to have seen this change drastically over the years: we’ve got such a large array of sectionals and sofas in endless eco-fabrics and seating arrangements—with lots of modular setups made to move and shift with you as your life changes: larger apartments, new homes, and the addition of family members. *Originally published August 2020, updated September 2023.
We see bigger brands like West Elm and Pottery Barn moving in a more sustainable direction with dedicated FSC and Fair Trade Certified product lines, as well as newer companies like Burrow and Floyd offering a few staple options for furniture and expanding their lines as time goes on.
I’ve rounded up some of my favorites at the moment: I hope this guide helps to ease the often daunting process of picking out new furniture, especially when it comes to considering materials and their environmental impact!
Burrow
Burrow says that by delivering their couch directly to you, they’re able to remove all retail markups and over 70% of standard shipping costs. (Equating to over $600 in sofa savings). Each piece of furniture is handcrafted from sturdy, sustainably sourced hardwood and scratch and stain-resistant, non-toxic fabrics. You can choose between numerous colorways for the fabrics, wood finishes for the legs, and multiple configurations for the arms and backs of the sofas. These sofas are ideal as they can grow and expand with your life, thanks to their universal, modular design.
Herman Miller
Sustainability is at the core of Herman Miller’s mission: they house many initiatives including rePurpose, which gives new life to used products and diverts up to 98% of products from landfills. They’re also founding members of NextWave Plastics, a consortium working to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastic supply chains. Read more about their mission here.
Ligne Roset via 1st Dibs
Explore vintage and secondhand options on websites like 1st Dibs and Chairish. Pictured here is the Togo which was designed by Michel Ducaroy in 1973 for Ligne Roset. The Togo collection features an ergonomic design with polyether foam construction and padded covers, making each piece both visually appealing and physically inviting.
Medley Home
Medley’s guiding principle is found in that most mass-produced furniture goes from delivery to landfill in a few years. They aim to elongate that timeframe by offering a 100 day trial, eliminating harsh chemicals from production, locally manufacturing furniture with clean, eco-friendly materials, and putting an emphasis on quality and comfort in design. Learn more about their Materials.
Pottery Barn
Pottery Barn offers various lines of certified nontoxic, organic and sustainable furniture. The Luna sofa is one of many that aren’t made with harmful chemicals or VOCs.
West Elm
West Elm currently offers over a dozen sofas (available in innumerable configurations) made with wood certified to Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) which means their wood is from responsibly managed forests. Here is the brand’s Responsible Retail Glossary, which decodes what specific symbols on various products indicate. This is a great guide to reference when shopping from any brand that offers products with these certifications.
Sabai
This eco-friendly brand uses fabrics made from natural fibers and recycled water bottles, FSC certified wood, certiPUR-US certified foam, and recycled fiber pillows. Sabai’s ethical, resourceful production partners are based in High Point, North Carolina. Their boxes are 100% recycled and they use no plastic in packaging. Neat addition: their furniture leg bags double as produce bags.
Crate & Barrel
Crate & Barrel offers nearly 200 eco-friendly sofas: most come with customization options including fabrics, leathers, and legs. This selection of sofas’ materials consists of certified sustainable hardwood frames and are made from responsibly sourced components. They are made durably to avoid frequent replacement and trips to the landfill. Read more on their practices here.
We hope that you were able to discover a few new environmentally friendly and ethically made sofas that will work with your space.
Disclosure: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you decide to buy any of the products we refer to and promote. All opinions are our own.