Sustainable Outdoor Furniture Brands You Should Know

As we see the increasing pressure on the planet with each passing year, sustainability is becoming more and more important. In luxury furniture, that means selecting materials and manufacturing processes that adhere to eco-friendly principles. As we look towards Earth Day 2023, we've picked 4 of our furniture brands that understand the assignment and have earned an A for their efforts.

Here are 4 sustainable brands that you should know.

Skyline Design

Skyline Design is one of the best-known outdoor brands in the world. They produce a range of gorgeous, Indonesian-made pieces that are synonymous with casual refinement; ideal if you love a relaxed yet elegant, boho look. But Skyline Design is about more than just beauty - they have been leading a revolution in outdoor furniture design with their choice of cutting-edge materials.

Their furniture pushes the boundaries of innovation through durability with the use of synthetic fibres including Viro&trade, Raucord by Rehau, Ecolene & Polystrand. These highly specialised materials create lightweight furniture that is both premium quality and all-weather proof. 

The fibres are developed to be resistant to chemicals and UV rays and are incredibly strong despite their lack of heft. But the key factor in Skyline Design's eco-friendly playbook is that each of these fibres is 100% recyclable and manufactured in ways that are safe for the environment.

With a dramatic push towards sustainable furniture and an aesthetic that never goes out of style, Skyline Design is one of our most popular outdoor brands.  Take a look at some of their gorgeous collections below. 

Atmosphera

Atmosphera is an outdoor furniture brand that celebrates all things natural. Their focus is on creating pieces that are in harmony with the earth, from the use of natural materials to gentle colour combinations that reflect the hues found outside.

In addition to mirroring nature, Atmosphera has made a concerted push to be ecologically considerate towards the environment in which they operate. They created The Good Living Project to guide their company principles and their approach to design and manufacturing. The project lays out guidelines on ethical working practices that are kind to both communities and the environment.

One of these practices involves creating cushion covers from recycled plastic bottles.  The range, called "R.O.W.”, features 24 x 30g plastic bottles per cushion cover, using unwanted plastic to produce a long-lasting product that will be a talking point of your patio for years to come. They are also gradually integrating OekoTex-approved textiles and wood that has been sourced from FSC® approved, responsibly managed forests.

Another way in which Atmpshera is shifting the needle is with their support of communities. They look for specific knowledge and techniques around the world that they can use in their designs. An example is their new range of handmade baskets made in Vietnam, a country that is known for its generations of craftsmen. Each region in Vietnam has a history of different crafting techniques that can be applied to various furniture products. 

If that wasn't convincing enough, Atmosphera also recently won the 2022 Sustainability Award at the Archiproducts® Design Awards for their Panarea service table, an outdoor table made of polished glazed ceramic.‎ Browse through their inspired-by-nature collections below.

 

Gloster

Luxury outdoor furniture brand, Gloster, can trace their history from origins in West Africa through to factories in Indonesia all the way to chic design studios in the UK and Denmark. While their design journey meanders across the map, the cornerstone of their brand has remained squarely front and centre: a deep connection to and conscious use of sustainable teak. 

Gloster is a blueprint for how to ethically grow and harvest teak wood for furniture. They are one of the world’s biggest international producers of sustainable teak outdoor furniture, having decades ago established large teak plantations and plantation management systems that are still used today.

They have a deep understanding of teak resources and an abiding respect for sustainable plantation culture, so much so that they only harvest what they plant themselves. Their teak trees have lifecycles of a minimum of 50 years and they can trace the wood of each product back to its origin.

Their philosophy is simple: design the most well-crafted, innovative product while honouring their teak roots, from seed to seat.

Ditre Italia

Ditre Italia specialises in contemporary sofas, armchairs and beds with a classic Made-Italy flair. While they are mostly known for their indoor range, the designers at Ditre Italia have ventured into outdoor furniture with some truly gorgeous results. The Sanders Outdoor Air Sofa is a refreshed version of their iconic flagship product, the Sanders Air Sofa - but they weren't content to stop there.

In early 2022, Ditre Italia launched the Sanders Universe Sofa, their first 100% green project. In collaboration with fashion designer and creator of eco-sustainable clothing, Tiziano Guardini, this new interpretation of the Sanders Air Sofa is made from eco-sustainable fabrics and animal-free, eco-friendly padding, as an alternative to goose down.

The frame and base are manufactured from metal obtained from recycled materials, while the seat slats are recycled glass fibre and recycled PET. For the cushions, they used coconut fibres and natural latex that they glued together with natural rubber adhesives.

For this effort, the brand was awarded a Special Sustainability Mention in the Furniture category at the 2022 Sustainability Award at the Archiproducts® Design Awards. The sofa is a symbol of Ditre Italia's Green Perspective which includes a range of eco-friendly fabrics that contain yarns made from recycled waste materials.