Ethical Consumer
  1. You are in:
  2. Home
  3. Home and Garden
  4. Shopping guide to furniture and furniture shops

Shopping guide to furniture and furniture shops

Image: two chairs furniture and a table
Alex Crumbie
By
Alex Crumbie

Our new guide to Furniture Shops ranks the biggest brands in the market, alongside some of the lesser-known but supposedly more sustainable ones.

It examines how sustainable UK furniture shops are and presents a trial version of Ethical Consumer’s new scoring system.

For some time, a team of our researchers has been developing a new rating system, which we are presenting here for the first time.

We believe that it has significant advantages to the old system but would love to know what you think to make sure that we are heading in the right direction.

View the new guide to furniture shops as a PDF

 

Part of the magazine ratings table

In our current scoring system:

  • companies start on a score of 14
  • the maximum score is 20
  • marks are subtracted for bad practice
  • there is 1 positive ‘Company Ethos’ mark available for good practice and up to 5 possible Product Sustainability marks, which focus specifically on the product rather than the wider company

 

Under the new trial system used for this guide:

  • companies start at 0
  • the total score is out of 100, which allows for greater nuance and is easily understandable
  • marks are gained for good policy or practice but can also be lost if we find reports of bad practice

There is more explanation on this new scoring system at the end of the PDF

You can also view a pdf of the detailed stories per brand/company which are usually available as clickable links in the score table online.

Looking to buy secondhand furniture?

Our article on buying secondhand furniture outlines a number of options for you, as well as repair and recycling information. 

Also of interest

  • Washing Machines

    Image: washing machines
    This guide investigates and ranks 33 washing machine brands on sustainable and ethical issues. We look at energy efficiency and reduction, carbon emissions, saving water, and which laundry machine brands have links to military equipment or poor conflict mineral policies. We also look at options for repair, recycling and buying secondhand washing machines. We suggest washing machine brands to avoid, and give our recommended buys.
    Read more

  • Fridges & Freezers

    Image: ethical shopping guide to fridges
    Find energy efficient and eco friendly fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers. We review and rate 40 brands of fridges and fridge-freezers to investigate energy efficiency, conflict mineral use and military connections; give energy saving tips for fridge use, shine a spotlight on the ethics of Bush (Argos/Sainsbury's) and give our recommended buys.
    Read more

  • Libraries of Things Directory

    Tools and spanners hanging on wall
    Libraries of Things are popping up all over the UK. This page gives a brief outline of what a library of things is and how they work. Plus we have a directory and map of all the Libraries of Things around the UK - now almost 100! Don't miss the links to Repair Cafe directories too (scroll to the end of the page). 
    Read more

  • How to buy secondhand furniture and recycle old furniture

    Sofa with cushions and a shawl on it
    Buying secondhand furniture is a great way to reduce your personal environmental impact.  This short guide lists online and high street options for buying secondhand furniture, highlights key things to look out for when buying secondhand, and discusses what to do with your furniture when it reaches the end of its life.  
    Read more

We always check the ethics of our advertisers