If you’ve been trying to do your bit for the environment inside your home, such as choosing nontoxic paints, ethical homewares and eco-friendly cleaning products, you’ll be pleased to know that you can extend this good deed into your exterior space too. By opting for outdoor furniture that’s produced responsibly, sustainably and without the use of harmful chemicals. Here are some ways you can make even more sustainable choices.

Go Non-Toxic

Off-gassing: It’s when new furniture, made from non-eco-friendly materials, releases harmful chemicals into the air we breathe. So when it comes to choosing new outdoor furniture, particularly tables you and your family will be eating from, it’s wise to source environmentally friendly materials that don’t release these chemicals.

Interbuild has developed an innovative VOC-free Hardwax Oil, which can be uses on any wood product. Certified Climate and Carbon Neutral by South Pole, a company involved in climate protection, Hardwax Oil is free of all harmful solvents. It’s also certified for contact with food and doesn’t use peanut oil in the manufacturing, ensuring that anyone with the allergy is protected.

Protect for Longevity

Outdoor furniture can weather quickly, especially if left uncovered and exposed to the elements. However, by opting for furniture that has been protected with an environmentally friendly oil, you’ll be lengthening the life span of the products and reducing waste in the long term.

You’ll also reduce waste when using an oil that, when applied to the surface of the furniture, stays in and on top of the product, with no evaporation of solvents.

Bonus Tip: . It’s worth investing in durable covers for your furniture to reduce the need for sanding and reoiling.

Opt for Quality

Be on the lookout for solid, durable outdoor furniture that’s made well. However, if you want to ensure that the product is sustainable, you should also consider the materials it’s made from.

Keep an eye out for companies with an ethical focus, that use FSC-certified wood such as FSC acacia. Companies like these are committed to the preservation of our forests for generations to come and therefore use only wood harvested in a responsible and sustainable way, while also being committed to producing high-quality furniture.

Bonus Tip: The benefits of FSC-certified acacia wood are twofold. Not only is it sustainably produced, but acacia’s natural oil helps protect against the elements, which helps preserve the products from the inside out.

Choose a Timeless Design

Choose timeless furniture you won’t tire of and therefore won’t be sending to the landfill.

The key is to pick classic and versatile designs that will adapt to your needs. 

Bonus Tip: It’s not just outdoor furniture that can be super functional and last for years. Versatile interlocking deck tiles, also protected with Hardwax Oil, can be reused in different areas as your lifestyle changes. Genius!