Gone green: Outdoor furniture
July 23rd, 2007 Category Furniture, Outdoor FurnitureConsumers looking to green up their patios with sustainable garden furniture have more products to choose from, but still face challenges finding them in stores, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Crate & Barrel and Pier 1 Imports scored highest in the group’s first annual scorecard of major retailers of wooden garden furniture. Both, according to the survey, currently offer the largest selection of FSC-certified garden furniture compared with their total wooden outdoor furniture offerings.
Both clearly identify FSC-certified products in their catalogs and online and make sustainable forest management an important criterion for selecting product offerings. Conversely, Wal-Mart offers no FSC-certified products. Smith & Hawken and Restoration Hardware declined to participate in the survey.
Of the 13 retailers surveyed, Target, Sears, Pottery Barn, Kmart and Frontgate have limited offerings (up to 35 percent) of wooden outdoor furniture that is FSC-certified or sources from forests working toward FSC certification. Home Depot, Lowe’s and IKEA have a moderate range of offerings (36-70 percent) of wooden outdoor furniture that is FSC-certified or sources from forests working toward FSC certification. Consumers should ask for products with a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo, which means the wood is traceable to a sustainably-managed forest according to Stacy Brown, forest certification coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.
Shown: Pier1 outdoor storage stool made of meranti wood with Sunbrella cushion, $44.50, www.pier1.com and stores.
