What To Look For When
Choosing Eco-Friendly Materials
Eco friendliness isnʼt just about recycling and reusing as many things as you can, reducing the amount of waste and pollution you create and trying to reduce your carbon footprint by conserving electricity and gasoline. Itʼs great if you do those things, however, these days, eco friendliness can also mean paying careful attention to the things you buy: where they come from, how theyʼre made and what materials are used.
If youʼre new to the world of eco-friendly materials, it may seem confusing at first, but itʼs easy to get started. You can take your first step by choosing organic materials. Organic products use specially farmed ingredients, such as cotton, that are raised with minimal use of environmentally damaging pesticides. Although farmers can use pesticides to kill bugs that destroy their crops, some pesticides are much more powerful than necessary, and they can have an impact on more than just the harmful bugs. Birds, beneficial insects and even wild mammals like deer and bears can get sick and die if they come into contact with these harmful pesticides.
Certification is a great thing to look out for when choosing eco-friendly materials, even for things that arenʼt organic. Organic farming isnʼt the only way to make eco-friendly furniture and housewares. Some materials, like wood, don’t require the use of pesticides but can still be grown sustainably. Many of our eco-friendly items are made with wood, including furniture pieces designed with legendary surfer Kelly Slater. The wood used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, or the FSC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting vulnerable forested areas across the globe. By using certified wood, we give our customers confidence that theyʼre purchasing an item that has had minimal negative impact on one of our most valuable and rapidly depleting natural resources: trees.
Other certifications, including OEKO-TEX for fabric items, lets buyers know they’re purchasing an eco-friendly product. Nevertheless, thereʼs more to choosing eco-friendly materials than just looking for certifications and labels. Some items, such as bamboo, are environmentally friendly by nature and therefore donʼt require any type of certification. Bamboo, a durable and fast-growing substitute for wood, can be found everywhere. In fact, it’s the primary ingredient in some of our stylish wall art.
PBteen makes it easy to find our eco-friendly products by providing you with a special eco-friendly shop section of our website, listing our organic labels and certifications, and making our use of environmentally-friendly materials like bamboo and recycled plastic easy to identify. When youʼre shopping around on our site, keep an eye out for words like “eco” – you might be surprised to find all kinds of things, including our super popular Eco Lounger chairs.
So, if you want to focus on buying eco-friendly products, don’t be afraid to do your research. With more and more people showing major concern for the future of our environment, there are now countless products on the market, and you no longer have to sacrifice your personal style for quality, eco-friendly finds.