5 ethical homeware brands to consider for your next furniture buys

From eco-friendly materials and sustainable sourcing to fair wages, here are some names to bring into your space

Chairs from the Desert Lounge collection are made from recycled plastic bottles spun into PET yarn. Photo: Ferm Living

As more people become aware of the impact their purchases can have on the environment, designers and furniture brands are looking at ways to become more mindful in their designs.

Here are five, available in the UAE, to watch out for ...

ferm LIVING

The Danish brand’s latest Desert Lounge collection is made from recycled bottles. The indoor-outdoor dining chairs and stools, available in sizes for children and adults, are crafted from tubular powder-coated steel frames. They hold an interchangeable woven textile seat made from recycled post-consumer plastic that has been spun into PET yarn.

“We want to inspire people to live a more mindful and sustainable lifestyle, and it is our ambition to grow the percentage of sustainable materials across all product categories,” says owner Trine Andersen.

Ferm LIVING's Desert Lounge collection is available from The Bowery Company, with prices starting from Dh690

Tribe

The Dubai-born brand has long been a pioneer for ethical homeware that reduces the impact on the environment, and has sustainability and fair living wages at its core.

The collection is curated by Jo England from a network of more than 1,000 artisans from 25 countries, all of whom receive a liveable wage.

Tribe also ensures its products are ethically sourced and, given England’s belief about the “social responsibility we have to the environment”, the company plants trees that support forest reforestation via the charity One Tree Planted.

Known for its bohemian-luxe collections, Tribe offers products made from rattan, bamboo, cane, woven textiles and recycled carpets.

Tribe products are available online at tribedubai.com and from its boutique opposite Bounce Dubai, with prices starting from Dh275

Jysk

The Danish brand, that opened in Dubai in 2017 and expanded to Abu Dhabi last year, has been a member of FSC Denmark since 2006, ensuring that all its wooden garden furniture is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Jysk is also a member of the Better Cotton Initiative and is certified by Oeko-Tex, made up of 18 independent institutes in Europe and Japan that develop test methods and limit values for the textile and leather industry. As such, the brand is always looking at ways to better its products for the environment. Its Scandi-charm aesthetic and competitively priced products are just another bonus.

Jysk has stores in Abu Dhabi at WTC Mall and Yas Mall, and in Dubai at City Centre Mirdif, BurJuman and Umm Suqeim Street in Al Barsha, and has an “everyday low price” section that starts from Dh3

Plyconcept

Plywood is having something of a moment in the design world – furniture made from it is no longer considered a utility or an unfinished product. Plyconcept, a store from Dubai that’s run by husband-and-wife duo Viara Dimova Nicholson and Adam Nicholson, offers cool-looking plywood products – think plaques, pendant lamps, coffee tables and cabinets – without sacrificing the environment.

“The essence of Plyconcept is to have something stylish and modern, but with a simpler, and reduced footprint in terms of clutter in the home and on the environment,” says Viara.

Products are made using Baltic birch ply, which is free of the toxic elements found in many modern materials, and use non-toxic water-based stains and sealers. Plyconcept also plants a tree for every single sheet of ply used, through One Tree Planted.

Plyconcept products are available online at plyconcept.ae and are priced from Dh130

eccentre

With products as quirky as its name, eccentre offers modular trays that are designed to be stacked and combined. Its first collection, Wiggle, draws inspiration from sea waves and comes in bold colours.

Best of all, the products are constructed from wood fibre, wood shavings and other parts of the tree that might normally be discarded; these are instead recycled into sustainable and eco-friendly MDF and sculpted to create eccentre's fun-looking trays.

eccentre products are available via its Instagram handle and are priced from Dh120