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Reducing, reusing, and recycling in the furniture industry: A mini-review
This study explores sustainable practices within the furniture industry, focusing on the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Through a comprehensive review of scholarly literature retrieved from databases like Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar a moderate corpus of articles is identified. The analysis reveals a predominant emphasis on strategies aimed at minimizing resource consumption, extending product lifespans, and optimizing material recovery. While reduce, reuse and recycle serve as foundational pillars of sustainable furniture production, the literature also highlights complementary principles such as "rethink" and "refuse," urging critical reassessment and rejection of unsustainable practices. Despite the diversity in research interests and methodologies, the synthesis of findings underscores the need for standardization and comprehensive approaches to address environmental challenges throughout the furniture lifecycle. The study advocates for further research and collaboration to drive meaningful progress towards a more sustainable future for furniture production and consumption. This abstract encapsulates the key findings and implications of the study, providing a concise overview of the state of research on sustainable practices within the furniture industry. The aim of this short review is to analyse the scientific articles and their quantity relating to ecodesign in the furniture industry, with particular emphasis on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle, as well as complementary concepts such as ‘rethinking’ and ‘refuse’.
The prospect of using retro timber in the furniture industry
The prospect of using retrowood in the furniture industry. To avoid over-consumption of natural resources, the idea of recycling or extending the life of wood-based materials is often considered in recent times.Therefore, it seems appropriate to conduct research aimed at studying the mechanical properties of retrowood and determining the possibility of its application. As part of a scientific study, surveys of old wooden residential buildings (Никитина et al., 2017) of the Russian North with a service life of 60–100 years and mechanical tests of both retrowood and freshly cut wood were carried out. Comparison of indicators of physical and mechanical properties of old wood and new wood material used in the manufacture of furniture with normative indicators of properties was made. Based on the research results, an assessment was made of the possibility of reusing retrowood in the production of furniture and interior elements. Well-preserved vintage wood from old wooden houses being demolished is a potential resource-saving raw material for making furniture, which is confirmed by testing the properties of this material. Based on the research results, the possibility of designing and manufacturing furniture and interior elements from retro wood is considered.