Abstract:
Interior designers must consider a wide breadth of issues when they create
design solutions that promote the health, safety, and welfare of the occupants (About
CIDQ, 2022). In the era of global climate change, this must include the sustainability of
their designs (LEED and Human Health, 2022). But the sustainability of furniture can be
overwhelmingly complex, involving a myriad of conditions that affect the environmental
impact of furniture. The supply chain of furniture includes sourcing raw materials,
manufacturing, packaging and shipping, use, and the ultimate end of use. Every stage
contributes to the embodied energy of the furniture, and sustainable practices can
minimize that carbon footprint (Winchip, 2011). The end of use stage is critical. The
furniture life cycle may follow a cradle to grave model and be disposed of in a landfill, or
a cradle to cradle model, which keeps the furniture in a useful cycle through upcycling,
secondhand use, or an extended manufacturer responsibility program (McDonough &
Braungart, 2002). Furthermore, interior designers must take common greenwashing
marketing tactics into consideration, which artificially inflate the sustainability of furniture
products using a number of strategies (Sins of Greenwashing, n.d.).
This study compares interior designers’ analysis of the sustainability of furniture
without guidance to their analysis with guidance, the latter resembling the format that
would be part of a framework tool. Using the results and feedback, the data was
analyzed to determine the significance between the experiences and understand if
interior designers may be influenced by the information the framework may help them
uncover. This information includes greenwashing marketing tactics, better
understanding the supply chain of furniture, and identifying third-party sustainability
rating systems. Using a framework to improve the sustainability of furniture selections
may ultimately improve the sustainability of interior design projects, thus positively
influencing the environmental impact of built environments, especially those projects
working to pursue sustainable building certifications.
