Doing our bit to protect the planet is a responsibility for us all, writes Anne Davies, owner of Yorkshire-based multichannel retailer, Room to Grow – yet furniture businesses definitely have a part to play …
Real change can most often be achieved through small tweaks to the processes adopted by manufacturers and retailers. As a children’s bedroom specialist working within the furniture industry, we are not only committed to helping parents create inspiring bedrooms for their children, but also aim to do it in the most sustainably responsible way possible.
When it comes to selecting the brands we work with, we ensure that all of the furniture created by our manufacturers originates from sustainably sourced timber that is FSC- or PEFC-certified.
Not only are the materials from which the furniture is made important, but also the packaging used to protect it during delivery. We ensure that all elements of our packaging are recyclable, and the team is working hard to reach its goal of omitting all plastic and polystyrene within the packaging by 2023.
The brands we choose to work with are also carefully selected – often based upon their eco-conscious credentials. The perfect example of this is our Jay-Be range of mattresses, which has been developed using sustainable materials. With the inner mattress structure made from flexibly bonded e-fibres that are completely free of harmful chemicals and VOCs, the mattresses are also 100% foam-free, making them a comfortable and sustainable choice for children’s bedrooms.
The Jay-Be mattresses are also vacuum-packed in recyclable material and rolled to reduce pack size by 70%. Small considerations such as this work wonders in helping to lower transport carbon emissions when products are being shipped.
As well as working with likeminded brands, we align closely with the British Heart Foundation to save old or unwanted furniture going to landfill. As part of the initiative, The British Heart Foundation will arrange collection of any unwanted beds and bedroom furniture at no cost to the customer, before taking it back to their base and selling it in one of their many shops across the UK.
This partnership is key in reducing landfill, and helps to raise vital funds for life-saving research into heart and circulatory diseases. So far, our team has raised an impressive £11,000 through the furniture collection partnership, with ambitions of reaching £20,000 by the end of 2021.
The phrase ‘doing your bit’ is often reiterated when we think of recycling and being more conscious of our environment. Although personal actions are just as important, retailers and manufacturers have the power to make small changes to their processes that can make a world of difference.
As a company that values wellbeing and the importance of creating inspiring spaces, Room to Grow is committed to a more environmentally friendly future, and is actively playing its part in real change to help protect our planet.
This article was published in February 2021's issue of Furniture News, as part of a wider feature exploring the eco-conscious furniture movement. Read it here.
