4 Products That Aren't As Green As They Claim

Many furniture retailers, from Walmart to Pottery Barn, claim to sell eco-friendly pieces.

But not all of these beautiful chairs, sofas, ottomans and shelving units are as green as their manufacturers say they are. They'll claim that they're "sustainable" or made of "reclaimed" items. But here's the rub: Typically, it's one or two aspects of the piece that are sustainable, not the entire piece.

Just like "green washing" (pretending to be green when the product is not) has taken hold of the cleaning-product and petroleum industries, these false virtues are becoming more apparent in furnishings too.

How to tell if a product isn't as green as it claims? Pay attention to the smell, says Jennifer Schwab, director of sustainability for Sierra Club Green Home.

"If the aroma is pungent, it is safe to say that the furniture was manufactured using a high amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chemical toxins," she says. "Some VOCs are known carcinogens, and they can cause many health problems. I have noticed this with some Pottery Barn items."


She also suggests that you pay attention to furniture tags and don't be afraid to ask the sales associate for information. "Do your research," she says. "Ask where was it manufactured, by whom, how far away did it have to travel to reach its final destination, and are fair trade practices used to manufacture the product?"

See four products that aren't as green as they claim, after the jump.


1. "Archer" headboard, Crate & Barrel, $1,099
While the headboard's kiln-dried hardwood frame claims to be certified sustainable and its foam cushioning is soy-based, the leather portion (described as "having a protective polyurethane finish") is anything but green. A better choice: Reclaimed leather coverings -- which brings new life to leather at the end of its life cycle -- could qualify as eco-friendly. But we wish that Crate & Barrel would have picked another covering altogether. Maybe hemp or organic cotton?

2. Klaussner Eco-Chic Curio, Wal-Mart, $1,390
Although it's described as "eco-chic," which is a red flag for greenwashing (promoting style over substance), there is no mention of good woods other than bamboo being used to make the piece. Yes, we know bamboo is often sustainable, but there's no certification that they've used sustainable anything. Plus, the curio is created overseas and uses a lot of natural energy to export the completed product to the United States. Our recommendation: stop reading at the first line, which is "Eco Chic is Oh So Cool," and find another curio to put your trinkets in.

3. Wood-based products, IKEA, various prices
So the Swedish retailer refuses to accept wood that has been illegally logged or comes from intact natural forests to design its minimalist, very cool furnishings, which we're happy about. But what are you going to do when, for instance, the $49.99 Leksvik side table breaks? (How about buy another one?) Having to replace furniture annually does little to keep junk out of the landfill over the long haul.

4. Coral pendant, Design Within Reach, $500
Type in "sustainable" when you visit Design Within Reach's web site and this pretty coral pendant appears. Yet the description says nothing about the product being green - just that it is shipped unassembled in order to save on packing materials. An email from the retailer's public relations department informed us that the plantation-grown Moso (a form of bamboo) plywood is sustainable. But when we pressed further to ask if it was certified, the answer was no. The term "sustainable" attached to a product, says DWR, means that it can be grown again or is strictly maintained to be renewable. The problem with retailers sourcing non-certified wood is that the origin is unknown. So who knows if that forest was managed responsibly -- or not. We give this product a thumbs down.