Sustainability, reuse, and environmental labeling in residential installation

Furniture and textiles have traditionally been among the most resource-intensive consumer goods in a home — large quantities of wood, foam, metal and textiles that are often discarded long before they are actually worn out. Residential installation is at the same time one of the trades that can best reverse that development, because restoration and reupholstering is in its essence an extension of the furniture's lifespan rather than new production. Sustainability is therefore not a side track in the trade — it is a core property that the craft already has.

§The Swan Label: the Nordic environmental label

The Swan Label is the official Nordic environmental label and sets some of the strictest requirements on the market for the entire lifecycle of furniture — from raw materials and production to use and disposal. Among the requirements are that at least 70 percent of the wood used must come from certified, traceable forestry, and that there are strict limits for chemicals: prohibition of phthalates, heavy metals and halogenated flame retardants, as well as limit values for formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOC) in adhesives, filling materials, textiles and wood-based boards. The Swan Label also sets requirements that furniture made of plastic must contain a certain percentage of recycled plastic.

• 01At least 70% certified, traceable wood
• 02Ban on phthalates heavy metals and halogenated flame retardants
• 03Limit values for formaldehyde and VOC in glues, fillers, textiles and plates
• 04Requirements for recycled plastic content in plastic parts
• 05Assessment of the entire product's life cycle — not just the finished product

§Other brands to know about

EU Ecolabel is the European counterpart to the Nordic Swan and uses similar principles for the entire product lifecycle. On the textile side, there are marks like OEKO-TEX that focus on harmful substances in the finished textile and indoor climate impact, which is relevant when you choose upholstery and padding materials for customers sensitive to chemistry in the indoor climate, or who wish a documented green profile.

§Restoration: sustainability in practice

The most tangible form of sustainability in furniture upholstery is the refurbishment itself. When an old piece of furniture with a solid frame gets new upholstery and new cover instead of being scrapped, both materials, production and transport of an entire new piece of furniture are saved. Classic hand upholstery, where the piece is built up layer by layer in the original way, is often necessary to preserve an older piece's form and value — and that is precisely the expertise many experienced upholsterers have passed on through generations.

§Textile waste is a challenge

Not everything is easy to recycle. Mixed fibres — where several different materials are woven or glued together in the same fabric — are difficult to separate and recycle when the upholstery eventually needs to be replaced. As a professional, you can contribute to a more circular development by knowing the difference between pure and mixed materials, by sorting waste correctly in the workshop, and by advising the customer on materials that both last a long time and are easier to handle when they eventually need to be replaced or disposed of.

“The most sustainable chair is often the one already in the living room — it just needs new life under the hands of someone who understands the craft.”