Hot Takes Series: Two Honest Ways to Make Sustainable Furniture
After more than 20 years in the furniture industry, most of them spent chasing sustainability, I've landed on one hard truth: there are only two honest ways to make sustainable furniture. Build it to last forever, or build it to come apart completely. Almost everything in between is greenwashing with a nice brochure.
Welcome to "Hot Takes," a new series where BrassTacks Design Source skips the marketing language and says what we actually see on the ground after years of specifying furniture across Western Canada.
In this case I am going to use two brands we know and love well to show both paths: Nienkämper, which builds to last, and Arper, which builds to come apart.
The Problem with Eco Labels
Most sustainability claims in furniture describe where a product came from (recycled content, certified wood, lower carbon factory etc.). Those things do matter, don't get me wrong, but they say nothing about what happens next.
A chair made with 50% recycled plastic, then glued, stapled and laminated to several other materials will still end up in the landfill. If the materials can't be separated, the product won't be recycled.
The real environmental cost of furniture comes down to two questions:
1) How long will it be used for?
2) What happens when the useful life comes to an end?
Way 1: Make it last
Fast fashion taught us that cheap and disposable is wasteful. Fast furniture is no different, and it's unimaginative too. These days sophisticated design is the opposite - keep it, repair it, re-cover it, and re-imagine what it could be. That only works when a piece is built to last with honest materials and craftsmanship.
Nienkämper has been building furniture in Toronto since 1968 and its pedigree is no coincidence. Klaus Nienkämper built his business alongside the names that defined modern design (and was friends with many of them too!). That lineage is still relevant today. The legacy of Vox sits beside newer classics like Rowan, Schultz and Pullman. The company has also worked with Arthur Erickson, Karim Rashid, Yabu Pushelberg, Patkau Architects and II By IV (to name a few!). These pieces aren't designed to trend, they're designed to be kept.
The greenest piece of furniture is the one you don't have to replace. Every year a product stays in use, its environmental cost is spread thinner and nothing new has to be made to take its place. Nienkämper is built around the boardroom, the most permanent room in most offices. A well-made boardroom table can outlast the company's lease, and often the next one too.
Longevity is a product strategy. A line that stays in production means you can add to it, match it and keep using what you already own. And because Nienkämper builds in Canada, our clients get shorter supply chains and less exposure to cross-border tariffs.
Way 2: Make it come apart
The second path accepts that products have a life span, and designs for the end of it from day one. If every part can be separated cleanly, every part can be recovered. This is the path that Arper takes from start to finish whether it is removable components like bases and arms, or even designing with end of life in mind at the concept of the design brief like Lepal and Aston.
Aom by Arper. Designed by Jean-Marie Massaud, the Aom sofa has no glue and no staples. A quilted cover holds the parts together. The structure is expanded polypropylene and the padding is Breathair, a recyclable polyester. Arper describes it as "nearly 100% reclaimable" and built on "a strictly curated Bill of Materials," meaning as few materials as possible.
Catifa Carta by Arper. Launched in 2024, its shell is made from 29 sheets of paper from Swedish wood-production waste, bonded with a natural resin. At end of life, the shell can be turned into biochar through pyrolysis, which locks the carbon away instead of releasing it.
Both products answer the end-of-life question before anyone asks it. That's rare, but with Arper it is how they challenge their designers to conceptualize new products from the start.
Everything In Between
Most products sit somewhere in the middle - built to last a few years, then impossible to take apart. They often carry the loudest eco-claims. Watch for these tells:
Glue and staples everywhere - if the cover can't come off, neither can anything else
Many materials bonded together. Foam laminated to fabric laminated to plastic. Each may be "green" on its own, but together they are waste
"Recyclable" with no plan. A material can be recyclable in theory and still go to the landfill because separating it costs more than it's worth.
Short product lines. If a collection is discontinued in three years, you can't repair, add or match it.
Specific warranty caveats - I see this one a lot. It's pretty hard to get the frame warranted if the rest of it isn't covered.
A checklist before you spec
One question covers it: Will it last, or will it come apart? If the answer is neither, keep looking. To dig deeper ask:
If it is built to last:
How long is the warranty, and what does it cover?
How long has this collection been in production, and will it still be available in 10 years?
Can parts be replaced, refinished, added, removed?
If it is built to come apart:
Is any of it glued, stapled or laminated?
How many different materials does it contain?
Is there a disassembly guide or take-back program?
What actually happens to each material at the end of life?
Buy Less, Buy Better
The most sustainable furniture decision is often buying fewer, better things and keeping them longer. We'd rather help you spec one boardroom table that lasts 30 years than three that don't.
Want to see either path up close? BrassTacks Design Source can bring Nienkämper and Arper samples to your studio or project. Alternatively we can arrange demos, and even manufacturer and showroom visits so you can experience these brands up close and in person. Get in touch and follow along for the next HOT TAKE!
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