You're an environmentally conscious citizen who actively buys organic, green, and sustainable products. But are manufacturers of "green" products taking advantage of you? Sneaky marketers continue to play on our desire to buy sustainably sourced, local, ethical products. Some companies even use underhanded techniques and fake certifications to dupe you. Unfortunately, there is little regulation for using popular buzzwords like "sustainable," "green," and "environmentally friendly." Marketers throw these words around casually to get you to buy products, even when they don't meet and specific sustainability standards. This behavior is called "greenwashing."
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By Laura Bourland, Rise Writer
Apr 7, 2025 · 5 min read
Greenwashing is the deliberate marketing technique designed to disseminate misleading information to present an environmentally responsible public image. Common greenwashing phrases to look out for include:
Here, we provide the questions to ask and guidelines to follow on how to weed out the greenwashed from the genuinely green.
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Companies began manufacturing and advertising environmentally friendly, green home furnishings at the turn of the century when they realized the need for sustainable products and a market of interested customers. Unfortunately, what started as responsible practices has been infiltrated by companies that are merely posing as green. When shopping for home furnishings, be sure to read labels, look for official certifications, and ask questions. A transparent manufacturer will tell you where raw materials are sourced and any chemicals used in manufacturing the furniture.
Rise Writer
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Laura grew up in the California suburbs, far removed from environmentalism, but nature always has a way. She uprooted her life in 2015, moving to the countryside of Washington to live a more sustainable and simple life on 12 acres. She and her fiancee are learning on the job as they attempt everything from gardening and natural pest control to eco-friendly building and home improvement.
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To ensure your home furnishings are sustainably sourced and produced, you must pay attention and ask questions. Learn to ask sales associates and contact the manufacturer yourself to identify where they source the materials used to make home furnishings.
Just as you read ingredients on the backside of labels at the grocery store, you must pay attention when purchasing everything from tables and mattresses to curtains and upholstery. Don't be afraid to ask store sales reps questions about the origin of materials, and check those certification labels! In many cases, the sales reps will not have the answers you are looking for, and you'll need to take the next step and contact the manufacturer. This process can take time, but luckily, manufacturers are becoming more and more aware that their customers care about sustainability, leading to more transparency in this area.
Home furnishings are produced from a combination of raw materials like wood, cotton, aluminum, and steel. While we'd like to believe materials are sustainably sourced, many companies use illegally sourced and unsustainable resources, sometimes unknowingly, to save money. Also remember, the further the materials come from, the larger the embodied energy footprint will be.
From couches to bedding, all products are affixed with a manufacturing label identifying where the product was made. Europe typically has higher regulation standards for sustainable sourcing than the US, and Asian countries usually have lower or unregulated standards. Be on the lookout for visually appealing products the may be comprised of cheap and unregulated materials.
Look for reputable 3rd party accreditation logos. Many organizations work to identify and certify businesses that take the time to source and produce home furnishings sustainably. Remember to be curious and ensure that the logos presented are real and reputable. Just because the label boasts eco-friendly terms and uses green colors and images of leaves and the planet doesn't mean they're environmentally responsible in reality. Certifications to look for include:
Look for furniture that can be repaired, refinished, disassembled, and recycled at the end of its useful life.
Home furnishings made from reclaimed materials are most likely sustainable. Recycled metal and plastic furnishings are an excellent option. They can be melted down and reformed into new products at the end of their lifecycle. In particular, look for companies that take back their products to do just that—like carpet tiles from Interface Flor.
Bamboo is a popular sustainable material as it grows quickly. However, some bamboo products are still produced with pesticides and assembled with toxic materials in far-away places. The manufacturer should give you more information about the true origin and sustainability of their products.
Look for wood, leather, and fabric home furnishings produced without toxic treatments that contain VOCs, flame-retardants, formaldehyde, or stain-resistant sprays.
Search marketplaces like Habitat for Humanity ReStores, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Freecycle, garage and estate sales, and your local thrift stores for used home furnishings.
Look for locally made products that travel shorter distances to reach your home and are made with sustainably sourced materials.
When in doubt, you can always create sustainable home furnishings yourself using reclaimed local materials.
