Heightened awareness of environmental issues circulating around global warming and climate change has raised concerns for the furniture industry. Protesters around the world have petitioned furniture companies for them to implement sustainable green practices in the coming years in hopes of instigating a positive development for humanity and the Earth it has disrupted. Indeed, such a notion is imperative due to several reasons.
To begin with, the furniture industry depleted valuable natural resources, especially wood, without further actions to restore it. As an instance, wood’s prevalence to the industry is very well established that in 1983 in Indonesia, if the damage of deforestation is taken into account, the GDP would be reduced by 8%. Such costs include the loss of natural habitat due to deforestation, potentially leading to biodiversity decline, as well as erosion since trees absorb rainwater, thus stabilizing the structure of the soil.
Additionally, the furniture industry also causes hazardous pollution that deteriorates human health. An epitome of this would be when the metal screws and plastic waste from worn out furniture end up in landfills or get tossed into natural habitats like the sea. Such waste can contaminate the environment and further wind up in the gut of several sea creatures that are about to be sold for human consumption.
In conclusion, it is obligatory for furniture businesses to enact environmentally-conscious practices as the industry has significantly contributed to mass deforestation that lead to destruction of habitats and soil erosion as well as health-degrading pollution. Gradually implementing this appropriately is a one step further for humanity and preserving the well-being of our home.