A presentation on sourcing materials for an affordable sustainable sofa.

1. Can we produce an affordable
sustainable sofa?
Katrina Brashares
MCAD
Introduction to Sustainable Design
December 1, 2015

2. Your beautiful toxic sofa
Do you know what your sofa is made of? Very likely a combination of
formaldehyde-producing particle board, wood lacquer that releases Volatile
Organic Compounds, glue made with carcinogenic ethylene oxide and a bevy
of petroleum-derived products beginning with the word poly. To top it off, it’s
very likely coated with cancer-causing flame retardants. Lovely, right?
In this project I set out to see whether it’s possible to design a sofa composed of
materials that aren’t dangerous to our health or don’t deplete natural resources
or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Not only that, this sofa has to be
affordable, within the range of what the average person in America might pay
for a sofa. Like an Ikea sofa. Is it possible?

3. The truly ‘sustainable’ sofas are at the very upper end of the market
costing between $2,000 and $7,500. An example of the type of
company providing these sofas is Ekla Home. Ekla Home purports to
use “pure non-toxic ingredients”. The furniture is made with certified
organic natural latex, Eco® wool and certified organic cotton barrier
cloth. All fabrics in their collection are compliant with the Global
Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Additionally they are made from
FSC certified wood, non-toxic adhesives, recycled steel springs and Zero
VOC finishes.
I’ll explore these materials and their alternatives to see if there are
lower cost options that are just as eco-friendly.

4. What is a regular sofa made of exactly?
Cheap sofas are abundant and they are primarily composed of particle
board and various polyester and polyurethane fillings which are all
unsustainable, in that they have human health and safety issues and also
drain natural resources without replenishing.
As an example of a low-cost sofa, I am using the Ikea Ektorp, whose
components I evaluated according to the Natural Step guidelines.
Natural Step is a sustainability framework developed in Sweden in
1989.
On the next 2 pages is a table evaluating the sofa’s components and
how they violate each of the Natural Step’s Four Principles.

5. Material/
Sustainability
Principle
1:
Reduce
and
eliminate
use
of
substances
extracted
from
earth’s
crust
2:Reduce
and
eliminate
use
of
chemicals
and
compounds
produced
by
society
3:Reduce
and
eliminate
physical
degrada@on
of
nature
and
natural
processes
4:Reduce
and
eliminate
contribu@ons
that
undermine
people’s
capacity
to
meet
basic
human
needs.
Fiberboard
Contains
formaldehyde,
human
carcinogen.
Off-­‐gassing
can
cause
respiratory
distress
Lumber
product,
whose
extrac?on
causes
physical
degrada?on
of
nature
Par?cleboard
Contains
formaldehyde,
human
carcinogen.
Off-­‐gassing
can
cause
respiratory
distress
Lumber
product,
whose
extrac?on
causes
physical
degrada?on
of
nature
Solid
Pine
Lumber
product,
whose
extrac?on
causes
physical
degrada?on
of
nature
Polyurethane
Foam
Petroleum
Byproduct
Respiratory
toxin
and
carcinogen
Petroleum-­‐based
extrac?on
degrades
nature
and
burning
produces
greenhouse
gases
causing
climate
change
Factory
workers
exposed
to
chemicals
in
produc?on
of
polyurethane

6. Materials
1.
Reduce
and
eliminate
use
of
substances
extracted
from
earth’s
crust
2.
Reduce
and
eliminate
use
of
chemicals
and
compounds
produced
by
society
3.
Reduce
and
eliminate
physical
degrada@on
of
nature
and
natural
processes
4.
Reduce
and
eliminate
contribu@ons
that
undermine
people’s
capacity
to
meet
basic
human
needs.
Polyester
Wadding
Petroleum
Product
Carcinogenic
chemicals
from
reac?on
possibly
retained
in
structure
Petroleum-­‐based
extrac?on
degrades
nature,
burning
produces
greenhouse
gases:
climate
change
Factory
workers
exposed
to
chemicals
in
produc?on
of
polyester
cardboard
Lumber
product,
extrac?on
causes
nature’s
degrada?on
Non-­‐woven
polypropolene
Petroleum-­‐based
plas?c
Petroleum-­‐based
extrac?on
degrades
nature,
burning
produces
greenhouse
gases:
climate
change
Factory
workers
exposed
to
chemicals
in
produc?on
of
polypropolene
Polyester
Fiber
Balls
and
hollow
fibers
Petroleum
Product
Carcinogenic
chemicals
from
reac?on
possibly
retained
in
structure
Petroleum-­‐based
extrac?on
degrades
nature,
burning
produces
greenhouse
gases:
climate
change
Factory
workers
exposed
to
chemicals
in
produc?on
of
polyester
Ikea Ektorp Natural Step Violations Continued

7. What green options are out there now?
The eco-friendly sofa market is fairly new; as an example, Ekla Home has been
around only since 2007. Research shows that despite much recent press about
flame retardants in furniture, chemical off-gassing and the unsustainability of
petrochemical products such as polyester, the market for sustainable furniture
has been slow to grow.
Currently there are three models of sustainable sofa:
1. The Ekla Home model: great quality, perfectly sustainable, high price
2. Greensofas.com model: advertises FSC wood, recycled springs, non-toxic
glue, soy-based foam with the opportunity to upgrade to latex, low cost….
Upon further research possibly out of business!
3. Crate and Barrel model: FSC certified wood, some soy-and corn-based
fiber pillows, some recycled steel suspension, mid-range price($1700 for a
sofa with certified sustainable hardwood and soy-based polyfoam.)
The issue is either that a truly sustainable product is only suitable for a high-
end market or that the lower cost options aren’t truly sustainable.

8. Possible Replacement Materials
Component
Options
Frame
1. FSC Lumber
2. FSC Particle Board (no added
Formaldehyde)
3. Bio-based Enviroboard
Cushions and Pillows
1. Natural Latex
2. Synthetic Latex
3. Soy-based foam
Batting
1. Wool batting
2. Dream Green recycled plastic batting
Interior Wrapping
1. Jute
2. Organic Cotton
Exterior Fabric
1. Hemp
2. Organic Cotton
3. Mix of Hemp and Cotton

9. Final Choice Materials and Cost
Material
Reason Chosen
Cost
FSC Douglas Fir
sturdy and affordable
$ 195
Heirloom Wool Batting – 10 yards
Fire retardant unlike Dream Green
$159
Natural Latex Cushions
Only true sustainable choice – soy-
based foam still contains polyester
$500 (not bulk)
Jute for lining – 15 yards
Sturdy and affordable
$30
Hemp/Organic Cotton Cover –
25 yards
Both soft and strong
$125
Recyclable Steel Springs + Clips
Low cost, easy to install
$50
Water-based adhesive
Non-toxic
$10
Jute twine and cotton thread
Sustainable and sturdy
$5
Tung Oil
Naturally-derived varnish – no
VOC’s
$5
Total
$1079

10. Quick sketch…

11. What did we learn?
Without the cost of labor and transportation this product is already 2.7
times more expensive than the Ikea Ektorp ($399!) on which the basic
design is modeled. With economy of scale, depending on the size of the
company producing the sofa, the cost of materials could drop
significantly.
Still, producing a sustainable sofa is expensive. At a small scale and
with current materials, it’s impossible to come close to the prices of
retailers such as Ikea. I ended up using very similar materials to Ekla
Home - they were the best fit and price for the product’s requirements.
With natural latex being one of the only viable sustainable cushion and
pillow fillings on the market, it would be difficult to scale the production
for a big retailer. I could have compromised and found much less
expensive partially soy-based foam but it wouldn’t have been a true
sustainable solution.

12. What needs to happen?
With current market materials, a truly sustainable sofa as cheap as the
Ektorp cannot exist.
Until big furniture companies invest in research and development for
sustainable alternatives, an affordable and environmentally-friendly sofa
will not be available. When these companies adopt a fully-functioning
circular economy where they are upcycling and re-using parts, the
prices will drop for the consumer.
My hope is that we will see more offerings from Green Chemistry with
the development of bio-based plastics and bio-based wood substitute
products that can be used in furniture.
Not everyone can afford a beautiful Ekla sofa so furniture companies
are duty bound to find healthy alternative solutions for all.

13. Sources
Eklahome.com
Enviroboard.com
Ikea.com
crateandbarrel.com/environment/environmentally-friendly-upholstery.aspx
Greensofas.com
Envirotextile.com
burlapsupply.com
Simalfa.com
Foamorder.com
Hobbsbatting.com
Oecotextiles.wordpress.com
Environmental Research 1989 Apr; 48(2):154-63. Is particleboard in the home detrimental to
health? Daujberg,P