When it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, the easiest way is to look at how the products you intend to buy are made.

Certain materials have high methane emissions from manufacturing and emit toxic gases (like PVC), while others have high carbon emissions (steel).

With beds, emissions are related to the electricity, heat and transport used to manufacture them, and there are a few things that can make a bed sustainable.

This article will explore how sustainable beds are made and what to look for.

Why is sustainable manufacturing important?

Amid climate change talks, sustainability often gets lost in the mix, diluted as powerful people talk about burning coal and methane gas emissions.

But sustainability is key to tackling climate change because it will cut emissions in manufacturing, which contributes some 13.6% of global emissions after we take out emissions from iron and steel manufacturing. Add those to the mix, and the number grows to 24.2%, nearly a quarter of all global emissions!

Designing your bedroom to be more eco-friendly requires sustainable materials, and your bed is a great place to start.

What makes a bed sustainable?

There are five components to a sustainable bed:

• Sustainable materials: Materials that have minimal impact on the environment. Replenishable resources like wood and recyclable materials like aluminium can continue to power manufacturing cycles without virgin materials.
• Reduced manufacturing complexity: The bed should be designed to use cutters, machines and labour that is free from complexities. Simpler designs require less intensive work, so they have lower carbon emissions by design.
• Minimised transport: Materials shouldn’t be shipped from China or anywhere else around the world. Sustainable manufacturing requires local materials to reduce supply chain complexity and carbon emissions in the process.
• Minimised waste: The material the bed is made from should be recyclable so that waste can be put straight back into the manufacturing cycle. Waste is also linked to good design, with good design reducing waste.
• Disposal and recycling services: Your old bed frame has to go somewhere, and the best place is a recycling centre. In our experience, recycling rates increase when the company delivering the bed recycles the old one.

Materials

Since the manufacturing supply chain is a complex beast, the easiest way to choose a more eco-friendly bed is by picking the right material.

Bed frames are made from either wood or aluminium. Both are sustainable materials but for different reasons, which we’ll look at now:

Aluminium

Aluminium is the most abundant material in the earth’s crust. It is easy to mine and easy to process, with significantly fewer emissions than steel and iron. Also, aluminium is infinitely recyclable, making it a great material for the environment!

For beds, aluminium is a great material. It’s strong, infinitely durable, doesn’t rust or corrode, and it looks fantastic. Different powder-coated finishes are available, from matte black to silver and pink.

The great thing about aluminium is 75% of all aluminium in production today is recycled, so it has a closed-loop manufacturing cycle.

Timber

When properly managed, timber is a 100% sustainable material for bed frames and other products because it grows back. Additionally, the trees absorb CO2 during their life, bringing the total emissions associated with processing down.

With virgin woods, look for FSC certified timber – this will help you identify, purchase, and use wood that is sustainability sourced.

With engineered timber, look for recycled products. Today, most engineered timber is made from recycled wood, but some use virgin wood, which means they contribute to fresh emissions associated with timber manufacturing.

Natural wood veneer is also recyclable, although cheaper veneers tend to incorporate non-recyclable plastics like vinyl. So, when looking at beds with a veneer frame (these are often a cheaper option), look for a natural veneer.

One last thing

Divan beds are upholstered. The most sustainable upholstery is cotton because cotton is a natural, renewable, recyclable resource. Polyester is another option, but it’s synthetic (although also recyclable). Faux leather is made from polyurethane (synthetic plastic), which must be recycled because it contains petrochemicals.

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