8 Sustainable Outdoor Furniture Brands for Your Eco-friendly Patio
Whether your apartment has a small patio or your new house has a backyard, outdoor furniture is probably something you have purchased.
But with a world that is increasingly seeking fast, cheap, and convenient solutions, the care and craft that used to go into making and selecting a piece of furniture seems to be disappearing.
Pin this eco-friendly outdoor guide for later!
With trends that arise and disappear at a rapid pace due to throw-away culture, fast furniture has emerged to join the ranks of fast fashion.
When shopping for eco-friendly outdoor furniture, it’s important to know what to look for an invest in quality pieces, so the chairs and tables can last for years to come in the outdoor weather.
Let’s explore the sustainability of fast furniture, learn what to look for when shopping for patio furniture, and meet some sustainable outdoor furniture companies.
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What’s the Problem with Fast Furniture?
Like fast fashion, fast furniture refers to products that have been mass-produced – usually quickly and cheaply, with little to no regard for quality or longevity – to meet the constant demand for the new, the convenient, and the immediate.
You can check out our fast furniture impact guide to learn more!
This list is encouraging consumers to invest in high quality patio furniture that will last for years to come! We’ve got a list of environmental impacts & materials to look for too!
8 Sustainable Outdoor Furniture Brands
If you're looking for some eco-friendly patio furniture to to cozy up your outdoor space we've got a list of sustainable furniture companies you'll love. These brands use premium materials that are conscious of the planet and feature modern designs.
Outer’s Outdoor Furniture Made with Recycled & Sustainably Sourced Materials
Price Range: $745-$7,000
Outer creates outdoor furniture using sustainable and recycled materials such as wicker, teak, aluminum, and concrete. They offer outdoor sofas, sectionals, a wood coffee table, chairs, tables, fire pits, and rugs.
Their teak is sustainably sourced and FSC certified, the bug blankets are made out of recycled polyester, and and their HDPE wicker is made of 30% recycled materials. Each chair of the sofa gives 99+ plastic water bottles a second life.
The fabric Outer uses is covered in a nano-coating that makes it stain- and weather-resistant. For further protection they have created a patented cover known as OuterShell® which is used to protect your furniture.
Their products are durable and crafted to last with their teak, aluminum and wicker sofas and chairs have a 10 year warranty, while their cushions, teak & aluminum dining tables and chairs have a 5 year warranty.
As Outer values circular design their entire outdoor sofa sets are recyclable at the end of their use. The frame is made of aluminum, foams can be easily shred and repurposed as carpet padding and every plastic used falls into international recycling codes 2, 4, and 5.
To further their sustainability efforts Outer is certified Carbon Neutral and part of 1% for the planet.
Why I Love This: I’ve personally had an Outer Loveseat in my backyard for a year and a half. I LOVE how well it’s held up! It’s incredibly comfortable too! Be sure to check out my Outer outdoor loveseat review!
Healthier Homes’s Non-toxic Patio Furniture
Price Range: $250-$4500
Healthier Homes is a one stop shop for creating a non-toxic home. This family owned company offers natural furnishings, organic décor, nontoxic paint, & all things healthier home.
Healthier Homes patio furniture includes non-toxic outdoor sofas, lounge chairs, metal side tables, and more. Plus, you can use the discount code HONEST for 10% off your purchase.
Why I Love This: I love that this is a small business focused on responsible product sourcing! Their knowledge and focus on non-toxic materials is incredibly valuable to consumers.
Masaya & Co.’s Fair Trade Furniture for Your Deck
Price Range: $235-$3,000
Masaya’s origins lie with their Nicaraguan sister company and reforestation project, Maderas Sostenibles.
The project practices sustainable forestry on deforested land that has been depleted by cattle farming, planting hardwoods that are used for the furniture they make and sell in Central America.
In 2014, Masaya was started to bring their sustainable products to North America. Masaya plants hundreds of trees each year.
Once harvesting begins, biomass and wood waste are converted into sustainable energy and the hardwood dried in solar kilns. Working with local artisans from Masaya, Managua, Nagarote, and La Paz Centro, Masaya’s products are handmade using fair trade practices.
They offer furniture for indoors and outdoors. The outdoor furniture pieces include chairs, tables, stools, chaise lounges, and sofas, all made with solid hardwood including teak, mahogany, and walnut.
Why I Love This: Their sustainable forestry practices proves their dedication to creating a socially responsible company with high quality products.
West Elm’s Eco-Conscious Outdoor Furniture
Price Range: $179-$6,000
West Elm has a wide range of outdoor furniture made from eco-friendly materials. Their selection features outdoor dining tables, sofas, side tables, chairs, and more.
Their sustainable products feature FSC Certified wood and recycled materials. Sustainable shoppers can easily look for West Elm's sustainably sourced and fair trade symbols to know which products are ethical and sustainable choices.
Why I Love This: I love the variety of materials for consumers to browse. Whether you’re looking for natural materials or recycled materials, West Elm has something that will meet your style AND sustainability needs!
Loll’s Recycled American Made Patio Furniture
Price Range: $245-$1500
Recycling is a way of life for Loll. Based in Duluth, Minnesota, they specialize in all-weather outdoor furniture and accessories, offering an extensive range including chairs, benches, and tables, as well as swings, ottomans, and planters.
Their pieces are made from recycled HDPE and are also recyclable. Made with non-porous materials and using color all the way through the product instead of just on the surface helps make Loll furniture long-lasting, durable, and low maintenance.
Made in the U.S.A. from American materials, Loll is Cradle to Cradle certified. They have furthered their environmental goals by pledging support to 1% for the Planet and Clean Yer Creak.
Why I Love This: The fact that this brand is Cradle to Cradle certified shows they really value transparency. I also love that their furniture is Made in America using American materials as this reduces the overall carbon footprint of the pieces.
VivaTerra’s Cozy Furniture for the Yard
Price Range: $299-$2,000
From the kitchen and the bathroom to the dining room and bedroom, and even your home office, VivaTerra VivaTerra has a wide range of furniture and home accessories to choose from.
They also focus on the outdoors with furniture and accessories like teak benches, tables, and chairs, rattan hanging chairs, wicker sets, planters, and pots.
This eco-conscious shop focuses on furniture that is artisan made or handcrafted in the U.S.A., with an emphasis on recycled materials such as reclaimed wood, recycled glass, vintage fabrics, and salvaged metal. Their wood is sustainably sourced and FSC-certified.
Why I Love This: VivaTerra has a range of brands to choose from allowing sustainable shoppers the opportunity to find furniture made with materials they find confident buying.
Yardbird’s Beautiful Outdoor Furniture Made Sustainably
Price Range: $280-$4000
Yardbird handcrafts sustainable outdoor furniture inspired by eco-friendly practices like incorporating recycled plastic into their wicker products.
Along with wicker, they also use teak and aluminum for their tables, sofas, loveseats, bistro and dining sets, and a host of other great outdoor products. To minimize waste they use recyclable and biodegradable packaging and the products themselves are also recyclable.
Why I Love This: Yardbird’s modern designs are really unique and feature bright colors that make great statement pieces for your yard.
Etsy’s Furniture Supporting Small Businesses
Price Range: Varies depending on the Etsy shop
Etsy is another great option if you're looking to support small businesses. Conscious consumers can find a range of outdoor furniture made with recycled materials and responsibly sourced materials.
Why I Love This: Etsy is a wonderful place to find unique designs and support family owned businesses!
Secondhand Furniture for Your Deck
Another sustainable option is to check a secondhand store to see if you can find old furniture. This can be an affordable way to practice sustainability in your outdoor living space.
Environmental & Ethics Impacts from Fast Furniture Industry
Mass production and overconsumption have many negative implications for the environment and open workers to exploitation similar to what happens in the fashion industry. Overproduction requires speed to fuel demand. For workers this can mean long, labor-intensive hours.
When it comes to the environment, the planet is drained of natural resources when materials (such as petroleum for plastic) are constantly sourced and manufactured utilizing dirty and energy-intensive processes.
All this, just to make products that are thrown out as soon as they’re out of fashion or as soon as they fall apart. In the United States alone, the generation of furniture and furnishings in municipal solid waste was 12.1 million tons in 2018.
From metal and plastic to wood and fabric, many materials are used to make furniture, each of which comes with an environmental impact, more so if the sourcing and manufacturing methods are not sustainable or eco-friendly.
The unsustainable harvesting of wood threatens forests and wildlife, while metal extraction contributes to air, water, and noise pollution.
Plastic is derived from petroleum whose combustion contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
Manufacturing of furniture has also moved outside the United States, where labor is cheaper and less controlled, leading to human exploitation and further increasing the industry’s carbon footprint as materials, or end products, need to be shipped back and forth.
At the end of furniture’s lifespan it continues having an environmental impact as it ends up in landfills and incinerators because the materials used are often not biodegradable or cannot be recycled.
This can be due to the use of mixed materials or because of the presence of toxic chemicals (such as formaldehyde) in coatings and resins.
Toxins may also be present in dyes, flame retardants, Scotchgard, polyurethane foam, particle board, adhesives, and lacquer, as well as in fabrics, emitting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can persist in our bodies and the environment.
With people seeking to improve their outdoor spaces at home, the demand for outdoor furniture has risen. If you want to connect with nature by enhancing your outdoor area, there’s no need to destroy it in the process by resorting to fast furniture and keeping up with fruitless trends.
Rather avoid materials that will not last and are potentially toxic. Seek timeless sustainable outdoor furniture that is crafted to last.
Tips for Shopping for Eco-friendly Outdoor Furniture
Materials Consumers Should Avoid in Patio Furniture
Laminated Particle Board: A cheap but poor quality material that, if damaged, cannot be sanded and repainted. When it gets wet, it swells and rots. Some may punt particle board as sustainable because it is often made from leftover wood scraps, but it takes a lot of energy to manufacture. And while it is cheap, if you need to constantly replace pieces, it can add up to more than you would pay for a good quality piece that will last decades.
Hollow Metal: Metal outdoor furniture can be a great choice because it’s strong and durable. Just bear in mind that some – like iron and steel – are vulnerable to rust and corrosion. Avoid hollow metal which can bend and break easily.
Plastic: This includes plastic components and coatings. Plastic tends to fade, crack, and wear out and is thus not very durable. If you opt for plastic be sure to choose the more sustainably option of recycled plastic.
Materials Consumers Should Look For In Patio Furniture
When shopping for sustainable outdoor furniture, choose high-quality, durable pieces that will last a long time. But keep in mind that a time may come when your chair or table is beyond repair, so it’s preferable if it’s made from a material that is biodegradable or recyclable. Here are a few sustainable materials to keep an eye out for.
Sustainable Wood: Teak is one of the best options for outdoor furniture because it’s durable, long-lasting, weather-resistant, and the natural oils prevent rotting. Other long-lasting options include acacia (which also has good water resistance) and rattan. Eucalyptus is fast-growing and sustainable and can be used to make outdoor furniture that is resistant to rot and insects. It is, however, vulnerable to cracking. Whichever wood you choose, find out whether it has been sustainably and responsibly sourced.
Reclaimed or Recycled Materials: These include reclaimed wood, upcycled plastic waste, recycled and recyclable aluminum, and upcycled food waste that has been turned into bio based plastics. However, ensure the product you purchase has still been made well and will last.
Metal: This includes stainless steel and wrought iron. As mentioned, metal is strong and durable but can rust and corrode. Aluminum, however, is corrosion-resistant.
Recycled Plastic: Polyethylene (PE) is popularly used to make plastic outdoor furniture. If you want to go with plastic, rather look for high-density polyethylene (HDPE), or recycled HDPE (R-HDPE), which is more durable and weather-resistant.
Third-Party Certifications to Look For in Outdoor Furniture
When looking for sustainable outdoor furniture, think about manufacturing too, not just materials. If you need guidance, look for certification labels.
Cradle to Cradle measures the environmental and social sustainability of a product according to five performance categories: material health (i.e. ensuring materials are safe for people and the planet), product circularity (i.e. regenerative products and processes), clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness.
Fair trade pertains to certification (such as by the World Fair Trade Organization or Fairtrade America) that sets standards to ensure workers’ rights are protected and consumers receive products that ethically made.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) promotes the responsible management of the world’s forests through sustainable use, conservation, and restoration.
GREENGUARD controls chemical emissions from numerous products, including furniture, reducing the risk of chemical exposure.
Keep these tips in mind for a more sustainably furnished outdoor area.
Buy second-hand or handmade furniture.
Support sustainable, eco-friendly brands.
Buy local.
Look for non-toxic finishes.
Repair don’t replace. A new coat of varnish or paint can revive a piece and by simply reupholstering furniture, you can give it new life and a new look.
Take care of your furniture.
Hopefully this guide helped you find some sustainable options for eco-friendly outdoor furniture.
Discover more ethical & sustainable brands by heading back to the main page of our Ethical & Sustainable Brand Directory. Also be sure to follow The Honest Consumer on social media for new brands & discounts!