Review of the Environmental Impact of Wood Compared with Alternative Products Used in the Production of Furniture.
This study produced a literature review on the current information available to compare the environmental impact of wood with other alternative products (such as plastics and metals) used in the production of furniture.
Key findings were: no examples of studies comparing wood with other material for the production of furniture; there are examples that compare wood with other materials in the production of window frames, flooring material and a TV/video unit; many studies that have compared the environmental impact of wood with other materials in the building and construction industries; in all the examples studied, wood has been found to have the lowest environmental impact compared to other materials; timber from sustainable forestry practices is a renewable resource whereas the production of plastics and metals is not; incineration of timber for energy production can be regarded as CO2 neutral; the use of other materials in the production of timber furniture (such as metal and plastic trimming, glues, varnishes etc) drastically increases the environmental burden of the furniture.
Reference Number:
PN03.2103
