The Attenborough Effect: 3 ways to make a home more eco-friendly

Matt Deighton is Managing Director of Sofas by Saxon, who are a primarily leather goods company that recently launched a vegan-friendly range. In this article, he explains some of the best ways to incorporate more sustainable elements in your interior design to suit an eco-friendly lifestyle.     David Attenborough’s highly successful documentaries, such as Planet Earth on BBC One and Our Planet on Netflix, have had a positive effect on consumer habits. After seeing shocking footage of plastic pollution and the effects of climate change, people are changing the way they shop and are choosing eco-friendly alternatives in an attempt to reverse the damage. This is a phenomenon known as the Attenborough effect. This is partly the reason why there were approximately 600,000 vegans in the UK in 2018, according to The Vegan Society. Retailers are listening and adapting to this change by offering vegan alternatives in their food, clothing, furniture and cosmetics ranges. This is good news for consumers, but it’s good for the planet too. But Wise up to Waste revealed that 22 million pieces of furniture are discarded per year in the UK, which goes straight to landfill, suggesting that we are being too slow in changing our furniture-buying habits alongside our food and fashion. So, if Brits want to make choices that are better for the environment, this is a great place to start. Below, I’ll be sharing three ways you can reduce the environmental impact of your next furniture purchase. Choose British made products Furniture manufactured in the UK often has a much smaller carbon footprint than imported furniture. It’s had less distance to travel to reach your home, cutting out freighting and shipping and their associated emissions. Plus, British factories are heavily regulated and must conform to efficiency standards when it comes to pollution and energy. Furniture made in other countries might not necessarily have been made under the same regulations, so their environmental impact is harder to determine. Choose faux and vegan furniture Cattle farms take up valuable land, burn through feed, water, and fossil fuels, and the cattle themselves produce dangerous amounts of methane in what is referred to as livestock pollution. Plus, to make leather from their hide, you have to use a lot of energy and chemicals in treatments, dyes and finishes. Instead, many people choose to look for faux or vegan leather furniture as an alternative to achieve the same durability and finish without using animal products. Use natural decorations We spend far too much money on ornaments that are cheaply made and either composed of or coated in plastic. They often break easily, usually get sent to landfill, and can take decades to biodegrade. Plus, this kind of clutter is fast becoming unfashionable with plants, flowers, and other greenery taking centre stage in our homes. This is good news for the environment but also for our respiratory systems, as plants trap dust and purify the air making it easier to breathe. This can also help our homes stay cleaner and fresher without having to use as many cleaning chemicals. These are three ways you can introduce eco-friendly elements into your interior design. With the effect of our waste and carbon emissions on the planet, we can all afford to go a little bit greener with our purchases. Being more careful about the furniture you buy is great place to start.   To find out more about Sofas By Saxon please visit their website: https://www.sofasbysaxon.com/