It’s proven that our office setting really does affect our productivity. If organisations offer a mindful, ergonomic and comfortable environment, employees are much more likely to be inspired and focus as there is a direct link between atmosphere and psychology. Biophilic Design is an increasingly rising trend moving away from the urban jungle norms and bringing greenery and nature into the workspace. The relationship between human beings and nature not only improves air quality but can reduce stress levels, increase morale and productivity.
Creating the ideal workspace involves choosing the appropriate furniture and with global warming on the rise and the disruption in our ecosystems, it’s time to take control and inspire others to reduce carbon footprint and cut back on plastic. Plastic is increasingly polluting our waters and fish end up being trapped, choking and eating particles – these become part of the food chain and consequently, we eat the plastic.
Luckily, there are some really interesting advancements and Plastic Whale has coined the activity of ‘plastic fishing’ i.e. collecting all the plastic from the canals in Amsterdam and turning it into a fun project.
Together with Vepa, they create impressive designer office furniture made from the gathered PET plastic bottles and at the end of a product’s life, parts are reused and recycled again to give another lease of life. The PET bottles are cleverly shredded into PET felt and PET foam.
The stunning Moka Felt chair by Nomique is also constructed from PET bottles.
This unique sustainable chair gives “waste” a second life, with its self-supporting shell created from the PET. The choice to use this innovative material is not only good for the environment, but it also looks and feels great. An additional positive feature is its sound-absorbing quality.
Buronomic is another aesthetically pleasing yet sustainable furniture manufacturer that pays special attention to quality and the environment. Their board used in desks, tables and storage etc is made from sustainable forests. Additionally, Buronomic optimises their loading and transport, recycles 88% of their waste and reprocesses their wood waste.
At Saxen, our main go-to sustainable fabric for soft seating and office chairs is supplied by Camira. The Nettle Collection is inspired by nomadic tribes and cultivated from an intimate blend of virgin wool and harvested nettles. The Patina fabric combines wool and flax – balancing the construction and beauty of the two raw materials.
We are also proud that all of our suppliers follow the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) which helps take care of forests and the people and wildlife who call them home. Furniture that uses wood comes from sustainable forests, which ensures that no wildlife comes to harm when taking down trees.
Another clever way to create sustainable furniture is to create a natural material entirely, like what they have done at Hussl with the Lino C chair. In the search for a natural material, they stumbled across an already well-known floor covering, linoleum. They added a middle layer of tear-resistant cellulose to the linoleum, which otherwise consists mainly of linseed oil, ground cork dust and jute, to create a completely new material – a material that has the lightness and stability of plastic yet radiates the elegance and harmony that only natural materials possess.
We hope this is the start of a wider trend towards sustainability in the furniture industry and look forward to seeing more brands adopt a sustainable approach to the furniture they produce.
If you are interested in any of the above groundbreaking products please contact us.
