What are the most sustainable interior design materials that you can use in your office? Namely, wood, bamboo, natural fabrics like wool or hemp, and steel, but also recycled plastic or cork. In this article, we shall explain why using sustainable materials is of the utmost importance and provide you with an extensive list of ones that meet this criterion. We invite you to read on.
Why Do Sustainable Materials Matter?
Sustainable workplaces are among the most promising office design trends in 2024. Employees are increasingly aware of their and their employers, impact on the environment and see sustainability in companies as a big plus.
This means that embracing eco-friendliness won’t only help our plant but also let you attract more skilled workers to your organization. What is more, you might also reap some additional benefits – for instance, when your sustainable furniture is no longer of any use, you might be able to recycle it and get at least a small return on your investment (for example, by selling old steel chairs at a steel scrap).
What Office Materials Are Sustainable?
Let’s get to the core of this article – our list of sustainable interior design materials to use in your office. What should you look for?
Recycled Plastic
What is a better way to embrace sustainability than to give old plastic a second life? While we mainly associate recycled plastic with bottles, it is actually possible to find office materials made from it as well. How does it work?
For example, you may find several companies that purchase used-up plastic, melt it down, and use it in their 3D printing resins to create brand-new office furniture. This way, you get all the benefits coming with the properties of plastics, while remaining sustainable and adding your brick towards a better future for our planet.
Wood
Wood is a popular option for office furniture (namely desks and chairs), and it can be quite a sustainable material if you choose the right type. How is wood eco-friendly when deforestation is one of the main problems nowadays? Let us explain this.
There are several logging programs that embrace sustainability by replenishing the trees that were cut down and carefully planning their activities to avoid causing any damage to the local environment. Wood from such programs is labeled, with the two most popular tags being FSC and PEFC. So, if you get furniture made from such wood, you can be sure that you are using sustainable materials.
Bamboo
Bamboo grows extremely fast, which makes it the perfect sustainable material for humanity to harvest. What is more, it has some excellent qualities that you can utilize in your office.
For example, bamboo is lightweight. This means that items and furniture made of it are easy to carry around, which is quite helpful if you are trying to rearrange your workplace or finally embrace the hybrid office design.
Add to that the fact that, in most cases, bamboo is harvested by hand, without using any machinery that would burn fossil fuels and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and you get the go-to sustainable material for your office.
Natural Fabrics
Natural fabrics are also an excellent choice. Gathering and turning them into furniture doesn’t cause damage to the environment, and the elements made from such materials can often be replaced when they wear off, meaning that you don’t have to get a new set of furniture every time the fabric tears. What are the best choices here?
- Wool – Not only is it a sustainable material, but also a flame-retardant and heat-regulating one!
- Hemp – Yet another eco-friendly material to use. Pure hemp fabrics might be expensive, so in most cases, you will see hemp mixed with other materials – make sure that the addons are also sustainable.
Steel
While steel might not be an obvious choice, it is actually one of the best means when looking for sustainable materials. This is due to the following properties:
- It’s strong – you don’t have to use much steel to create a furniture piece.
- It can be melted down – it can be recycled any number of times.
Plus, you may sell your old steel furniture and get some extra money when it is time to replace your office equipment.
Cork
Cork is sustainable due to the fact that it can be harvested from the cork tree without cutting it down. It’s excellent for thermal insulation, though it will also serve its purpose as a furniture material due to its high durability.
The Takeaway
There are many sustainable interior design materials that you can use in your office. Knowing them, you are ready to make more informed decisions when purchasing furniture and embrace sustainability in your office to the fullest!
You may also read: Where to Buy Office Furniture?