Decorating & Design
May 21, 2021
The Healthy Home: Do You Know The Ingredients In Your Furniture?
Introducing a new regular feature about purposeful living, The Healthy Home. In Chapter 1, we’re breaking down why ingredients matter in your furniture and how to shop more sustainably.
Look For A Declare Label
Searchable online, Declare labels act like the nutrition labels now common on packaged food: they clearly show where a product is from and what it’s made of, vetted down to every material that makes up more than .01 per cent of the finished product.
Who’s Behind Them
Declare is run by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), an environmental nonprofit. It launched the initiative to encourage better transparency about the things that surround us and to expand the conversation about creating healthy spaces. “It’s not just about energy efficiency anymore, but about the goodness of materials,” says Shawn Fisher Hesse, an executive with ILFI.
Why Ingredients Matter
Considering that we spend 90 per cent of our lives indoors, making cleaner choices is essential for well- being. “People have become more savvy about what they bring into their homes,” says Sally Pottharst, co-founder of Armadillo & Co. She and her partner, Jodie Fried, offer Declare labels for many of their handwoven rugs. “It’s our intention that all of our products will eventually be accompanied by Declare labels,” she says. “Sustainability is at the heart of our business, and we’re excited to keep pushing the design industry as a whole toward greater environmental accountability.”
Brands On Board
Declare’s online database has 800-plus labels, and it’s growing. Muuto, Kohler, Benjamin Moore and Herman Miller are among the design companies represented.
Last October, Blu Dot introduced its Decade chair made from 100 per cent recycled plastic with a Declare label.
Cosentino is currently developing Declare labels for its Silestone Loft Collection of quartz surfaces — the first made with its new HybriQ+ technology, which allows the use of reused raw materials.
House & Home May 2021