The mission of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is to “promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.” In underdeveloped areas of the world, creating financial revenue can lead to irresponsible deforestation. The FSC seeks to preserve the world’s forests and provide adequate revenue without devastating natural forest resources, ecosystems, or individual cultures and societies. Green furniture promotion is a realization of one of the FSC’s goals.
An example of reclaimed teak furniture.
By setting standards and international regulations, and working to progressively push the standards, they strive to assure the forests of the world will be prosperous. Sustainable furniture, according to the FSC, is made from lumber that companies harvest with restrictions in production to prevent over logging; they forbid hazardous pesticides, exclude the farming of genetically modified trees, and the producers never negatively impact areas which support the habitat of endangered animals.
Through the increase in demand of sustainable furniture lifelong jobs are created by plans that stretch years into the future. This will impact local workers and communities with the motivation of sustainable living for generations. There are also measures taken to guarantee workers rights are not violated. Manufactures of sustainable furniture may benefit from government subsidies because of their responsible practices.