Sustainability has become a hot concern in a variety of businesses, including school furniture manufacturing. The eco-friendly and ergonomic furniture business has expanded in recent years, both for offices and school furniture. Schools want more environment-friendly and ergonomic seats with high-efficiency utilities. Doing your part for the environment starts with small actions at home, and it can continue through bigger decisions like choosing sustainable school furniture.
Eco-friendly activities in schools are on the top board as school management strives to develop sustainable classrooms. Sustainable classroom storage, chairs, and tables are now common in Singaporean classrooms. Keep in mind that your furniture should not only be long-lasting but also trendy.
On the other hand, school furniture manufacturers are also more focused on the environmental effect of their products. They are looking to commonly available and naturally renewable raw materials, recycling products, and even considering dynamic new materials.
In this blog article, we will look at some of the most sustainable materials used by school furniture suppliers and the advantages they offer over traditional products to create high-quality, long-lasting products.
Wood: Opt for Sustainable Sources
Wood is the most common material used in school furniture, and for good reason because it’s easily available and aesthetically pleasing. But did you know that it can also be sustainable? Wood is one of the most ecologically beneficial materials available if it is sourced rightfully because it is eternally renewable and functions as carbon storage, playing an essential part in dropping carbon emissions.
To decrease your environmental impact, materials should be sourced from responsibly managed forests or those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification). It is important to ensure that the wood used comes from sustainably managed forests that are properly treated and refilled to avoid ecological harm.
Wooden furniture is not only durable but also a great insulator, making it an ideal material for school desks and chairs that will be suitable for daily use. Moreover, it can be refinished or repaired if needed, allowing you to breathe new life into existing pieces rather than buying new ones and saves a lot of your dollars spending on new ones. With a little creativity and effort, you can transform old furniture into something special and also contribute to save the planet by conserving resources.
Bamboo: Traditional and Eco-Friendly
Bamboo is a natural material with a long history in furniture making. Bamboo is actually a tree-like plant rather than wood. It can also grow more rapidly than wood, making it one of the most ecological school furniture materials. Some bamboo species can grow up to 36 inches per day as compared to other trees which take ages to grow this length. Bamboo also helps to reduce carbon footprints by absorbing carbon from the environment and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.
Aside from its environmental credentials, bamboo is an excellent choice for school furniture if you want to create lightweight furniture, its hollow cells have a lower density than other materials, like wood and metal, without sacrificing strength making it simple to move and long-lasting.
Recycled Material: Durable and Versatile
Recycled materials are considered a sigh of relief for the environment because new materials require the use of new raw materials for the first time, on the other hand, recycling materials can be recycled again at the end of their lifetimes which minimises the burden of utilizing raw resources every day.
Recycled plastic-based school furniture is resistant to fading and staining, making it an ideal choice for both indoor and outdoor use. As recycled plastic breaks down slowly despite exposure to extreme weather conditions, furnishing a school area with this sustainable material will lead to fewer replacement purchases over time hence saving you a lot of your budget. What do you need more than that if you get all things in one material.
Renewable Fabric: Natural Comfort, Low Impact
Natural fabrics are fast becoming a popular choice for school furniture, thanks to their soft and comfortable feel for ergonomic, breathability, and eco-friendly production processes. This natural fabric is often extracted from renewable resources like cotton, wool, hemp, and linen, making it sustainable in both the short and long term. They also have an organic feel and textural appearance which provides a relaxing look for the classroom. Instead of buying new ones, you may recycle old chairs by reupholstering them in these materials.
Organic fabrics contain no harmful chemicals or non-biodegradable coats, results in a minimal environmental impact even when discarded. Organic textiles are also more durable than man-made materials, making them a good choice for school furnishings. Moreover, natural fabrics also have anti-microbial properties that help to prevent stinky odours and staining. This makes them more favorite for classroom settings.
Metal: Opting for Strength and Durability
Although metal furniture may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing eco-friendly and ergonomic options, modern metals are in the growing trend used in school furniture designs. Metal is considered a sustainable material for a variety of reasons. It’s powerful, so you don’t need much of it. It can be reused indefinitely, making it infinitely recyclable. It requires very minimal resources to create and is not harmful to humans or the environment.
Metals such as aluminium or stainless steel can also provide a sleek aesthetic feel for modern stylish classrooms. Recycling aluminium is the best buy because it saves up to 95% of the energy used in its production from raw materials. The best way to maximize the sustainability of metal furniture is to choose furniture pieces with a lifespan of more than 10 years and then recycle them at the end of their shelf life.
New Innovative Materials
New material options are constantly being adopted by manufacturers for more sustainable methods of making classroom furnishing. Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) has been hailed as a sustainable material of the future. GRP is processed by combining strong plastic with glass fibres, which add strength and rigidity to the material. This helps the furniture to better hold up over time and also adds a modern touch to classrooms.
Due to its lightweight construction and resilience, it can hold up to wear and tear, making it an excellent choice for school furniture. It’s also non-toxic and fire-retardant, making it a safer option for students’ overall health.
Sustain and Reimagine Your Ideas with Us
The lasting impact of a piece of furniture on the environment is determined by what happens during the design phase at the start of its life cycle. Creating eco-friendly and as well ergonomic school furniture begins with selecting sustainable materials. While sustainable materials may cost a little more dollars but the extra money you invest saves you in the long run by providing higher-quality products that are better for the environment.
Let us sustain and recycle your ideas for school furniture with Heat Office Design. Your furniture will be last and presentable in the long run even after decades if you choose us as your supplier. And, as manufacturers and designers you prioritise sustainability in the design process, you can expect to see us use more innovative sustainable materials in the future.
