Facts About Office Furniture

We often don’t think about the environmental impact of our office furniture. That is, unless you’re the one ordering new pieces for your space. Every year, U.S. companies purchase:

• 16.5 million chairs
• 4.5 million tables
• 11 million file cabinets 
• 3 million desks. 

That’s a lot of furniture.

This new furniture not only traveled a long way and was created in an energy-intensive production process, it is also possible that it is sourced from rare wood. Between 1980 and 1995 alone, at least 2 million square kilometers of forests were destroyed, an area larger than Mexico. 

Ever catch a whiff of that new furniture smell? It is likely the adhesive, sealant and paint on your new desk, emitting VOCs (volatile organic compounds) into the air. VOCs have been found to irritate the lungs, eyes and immune system and have been shown to case cancer in animals.

When new office furniture takes the place of old, the displaced pieces often end up in the landfill. The U.S. EPA reported that furniture accounted for 8.8 million tons, or 3.6 percent, of our trash stream in 2005 (quadruple the tonnage in 1960). Do your part and recycle or reuse your office furniture responsibly.