Furniture and furnishings, including items such as sofas, tables, chairs and mattresses, generated 12.1 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States in 2018, according to the most current data available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This constitutes approximately 4.1 percent of total MSW and is up more than 500 percent from the 2.2 million tons generated in 1960.
One of the best ways to save money over your sofa-purchasing lifetime also happens to be a good way to protect the environment – don’t throw away furniture.
But does limiting the environmental impact of furniture disposal boil down to abstaining from so-called “fast furniture,” buying only “high quality” couches and armchairs?
Evaluating the environmental impact of your couch might be a little more complex than that.
Let’s dig deeper into your sofa’s product lifecycle, aiming for a more nuanced assessment of what contributes to furniture waste and the carbon footprint of the furniture industry.
And let’s also consider some alternatives to throwing that couch away.
What's covered: Furniture, the Environmental Impact: From Forest to Landfill • What goes into your basic couch? • Product lifecycle of your couch Getting the Most Out of Your Couch • Buy a well-made couch? • The lifespan of a couch • Why we throw our couches away Throw Away Furniture Less Often • Protect & Care • Repair & Refurbish • Recycle & Upcycle
Furniture, the Environmental Impact: From Forest to Landfill
First off, to be clear, it is difficult to precisely assess the environmental impact of any single product.
This is because most products encompass a variety of raw materials in their fabrication and a number of steps from manufacture to market.
Not only does the specific environmental impact of each of these materials and processes vary in absolute terms, impact varies as a consequence of differences in the standards and practices of individual manufacturers.
What goes into your basic couch?
What goes into your basic couch? According to britanica.com your basic piece of upholstered furniture is built of wood or plywood (for framing), steel (for framing or springs) and other metals (for staples and tacks), textiles (for both inner coverings and upholstery fabric), latex or plastic foam (to make cushioning and padding), and perhaps down or fiber (as a filler).
Each of these materials must first be extracted as raw resources. These resources are then further processed. Cotton is woven into textiles. Timber felled from forests is milled. You get the idea.
Once you have the processed materials needed to create a product, the product itself must then be manufactured, transported to a retail market (or directly to the consumer), used, and finally, at the end of its life, disposed. And then the cycle starts again.
In the cradle-to-grave analysis known as a product lifecycle assessment, the environmental impact of a product is evaluated at each of these steps, from resource extraction to disposal.
Lets consider the potential environmental impact of each of the steps in the product lifecycle of your couch.
Product lifecycle of your couch
STEP 1: Extraction of raw materials
Wood. Wood is an essential component of furniture and this is true even with upholstered furniture, where wood is a popular material for frames, legs, and accents. When this wood is not sustainably sourced, the felling of trees for furniture framing and decorative details can contribute to deforestation.
Environmental impact Forests provide important ecosystem services, absorbing carbon dioxide, cleaning air and water, and serving as a habitat for many species. Conversely, “when forests are cut, burned, or otherwise removed, they emit carbon instead of absorbing carbon," writes the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Indeed, according to the WWF, "In 2022, deforestation accounted for about 7% of global emissions.” Deforestation also contributes to soil erosion, disruptions in the water cycle, and the spread of infectious diseases.
Steel and other metals. Steel and other metals used to make your couch typically necessitate both mining and intensive processing.
Environmental impact According to the June 2023 Bloomberg article, "What It Would Take to Make Steelmaking Greener," the "steel industry accounts for about 7% of global carbon emissions.”
Almost all steel is made from iron extracted from iron ore, which must first be mined. The high demand for steel requires the continuous mining and processing of iron ore. Iron ore mining is highly energy intensive and also generates large amounts of solid, liquid, and gaseous waste.
Natural fibers and padding. Textiles made from natural fibers – such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, or leather – as well as latex – a rubber-like, plant-based product – are agricultural products.
The environmental impact of both plant and animal agriculture varies widely depending on scale and farming practices.
Environmental impact While sustainable and regenerative agriculture seek to preserve and restore the land and the environment, agriculture as a whole remains a major driver of environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, irrigation problems, soil degradation, and pollution. Agriculture is also the leading cause of deforestation.
Synthetic textiles and padding. Textiles made from synthetic fibers – such as polyester and olefin – as well as the polyurethane foam used to make cushioning and padding are petroleum-based products.
Environmental impact Petroleum is a fossil fuel. Petroleum is not only a non-renewable resource, but the extraction, refinement, and use of petroleum contribute to air pollution - including the release of greenhouse gases - water pollution, land disturbance, and the production of solid wastes.
Timbering, mining, agriculture, and fossil fuel extraction as well as the further processing of the raw materials obtained from these activities all precede the manufacture of your sofa.
STEP 2: Manufacturing
In addition to the resources used to fabricate individual furniture pieces, the overall process of furniture manufacturing has a substantial carbon footprint. Modern furniture manufacturing is primarily done in large factories as opposed to small shops. These factories consume water and power and also, like most factories, emit greenhouse gases.
Environmental impact Manufacturing is the sector of the economy that comprises industries that produce finished products, like furniture. According to Our World in Data, in 2020 the global manufacturing and construction sector emitted .79 tons of carbon dioxide per capita. Notably, electricity and heat, which are also used in commercial buildings, are treated as a separate sector. When emissions from electricity end-use are included, manufacturing emissions increase substantially, notes the EPA in their own evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions per sector.
Furniture manufacturing often also involves the use of chemicals and other materials that can be harmful to the environment and human health.
STEP 3: Transportation
In addition to the carbon emissions caused by manufacturing, shipping furniture further contributes to environmental problems.
Environmental impact "The transportation sector generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions," reports the EPA. "Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 94% of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes primarily gasoline and diesel."
Emissions from transportation are further increased, because furniture is shipped at least twice – once to get raw materials to the manufacturer, and again to get the final piece to the consumer.
STEP 5: Disposal
Finally, when furniture is discarded it impacts the environment yet again. In the U.S. alone, we throw out more than 12 million tons of furniture a year.
While a portion of this furniture waste is recycled or combusted for energy, the majority (an estimated 80.1 percent) is landfilled.
Environmental impact America’s solid waste infrastructure gets a C+ according to the, “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure,” published every four years by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and most recently in 2021. Writes the ASCE, “Because there is no comprehensive database of landfills in the U.S., the exact number and age is difficult to determine. Estimates show that more than 2,600 landfills exist, while over 1,250 are currently open with varying amounts of remaining capacity. The average age of landfills is somewhere between 30 and 50 years old.” [In Cover the Couch's ABOUT page, I promised/warned you that I would occasionally be stepping outside the topic of slipcovers in its narrowest sense. Here's an instance. If you live in America, the ASCE Report Card is a great resource that addresses 18 different categories of U.S. infrastructures, not just solid waste but bridges, roads, schools, drinking water and more. I highly recommend you check it out!]
When decomposing, landfilled furniture releases chemicals. While landfills are designed to contain waste, they can leak releasing these chemicals into the environment, contaminating soil and groundwater and harming ecological systems.
Decomposing waste materials in landfills also emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to atmospheric warming and climate change.
And then the process begins all over again with the extraction and processing of new resources needed to replace furniture discarded as waste.
Is your couch the climate's greatest threat? Evaluating the carbon footprint of furniture, a 2019 study by My Tool Shed, found that the average piece of furniture generated approximately 47 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e), roughly the same amount of greenhouse gases as burning 5.3 gallons of gasoline. Sofas took the top spot generating around 90 kilograms CO2e - 40 percent from foams and fillings, 20 percent from textiles, and 15 percent from wood.
You may have noticed I skipped this above, but now its time to turn to STEP 4 of the product life cycle, use.
STEP 4: Use
Let’s say, having pondered the life cycle impact of our couches (and other furniture), we all agree that we would like to throw away furniture less often, using it longer.
This is a great way for us to help the environment and it is also a great way to save money.
But how best to accomplish this?
Getting the Most Out of Your Couch
Buy a well-made couch?
One of the first pieces of advice you are likely to encounter is to buy quality pieces of furniture, pieces that are well-made and designed to last.
But what constitutes a well-made couch?
Product details. To help you assess whether or not a couch is well-made, consider its product details. When it comes to upholstered furniture, according to a 2021 piece, “How to Find High-Quality Furniture for Your Home,” published in leading American consumer research and product testing nonprofit, Consumer Reports (CR), you should look for well-constructed framing and springs, cushions filled with (or at least wrapped in) real or synthetic down, and upholstery made from durable fabrics or bonded leather.
Warranty. In addition to evaluating product details, another way to get a sense of the predicted longevity of your couch is to see what sort of warranty the manufacturer or retailer offers. A long term warranty is an indication that the manufacturer believes they have crafted a well-made product that will stand the test of time.
Test it out. When purchasing a sofa, if possible, sit on it. Is it uncomfortable? Unstable? Do you hear squeaks and creaks? Any of these can be an indication of flimsy or questionable fabrication. No matter how great the sofa looks on the website or showroom floor, it may not make you happy for long.
The lifespan of a couch
But how much of a difference does buying a well-made couch make in its longevity?
Buying well-crafted furniture that can last a lifetime (or more) with the proper care (and, perhaps, some refinishing) makes sense. Afterall, a piece of furniture that will last a hundred years justifies the investment of more money upfront as it will certainly pay for itself over its useful life.
But does this pertain to couches?
What is the life expectancy of a couch (or, for that matter, upholstered furniture in general)?
20 years … MAX!
The life expectancy of a couch According to furniture and homeware site, Living Cozy, the lifespan of a well-made sofa can be as long as 20 years, while the lifespan of a lower quality sofa is more like five. Furniture maker HATIL, gives a similar estimate, ballparking the life expectancy of a lower-quality sofa at 5 years and a higher-end sofa at just over 15 years with a typical range of 7-15 years (7-10 years for upholstered chairs). Like HATIL, lifestyle brand The Spruce, puts the "average life of a sofa purchased today is seven to 15 years."
However, according to a 2019 survey by market research firm, One Poll (conducted for furniture seller, Rove Concepts and sited by Fox News, The NY Post, and many, many bloggers) the average age of an American sofa was a mere six years.
The sofa survey and its six-year statistic is often cited in conjunction with warnings to steer clear of poorly made furniture in favor of better-constructed, longer lasting options.
Why we throw our couches away
But I’m not sure that’s what the sofa survey is saying.
The survey says “age” not “lifespan.”
Thus, it may simply be saying that, at the time of the survey, the average age of respondents’ sofas was six years … not that respondents were planning to or needed to chuck their sofas out immediately. (The One Poll survey itself seems to have disappeared, so I can only conjecture based on ensuing references.)
Regardless, what’s more enlightening is how respondents felt about their couches.
Despite the fact that 70 percent of the 2000 survey respondents rated their current couch as comfortable, three out of ten expressed a desire to replace it.
And, though rating their couch as still comfortable (suggesting that cushions and frames were holding up and that the sofa was still structurally sound) more than one-fifth of survey respondents indicated that they wished to replace their couch because it was faded or outdated and further indicated that they were “embarrassed by the appearance of their home.”
If we take this survey to indicate that Americans are rapidly and cyclically disposing of their sofas because they are poorly made, then mathematically (given the range of upholstered furniture life discussed above) we are saying that 90 percent of the sofas purchased in America are so poorly made that they will only last 5 years.
If alternatively, we glean from this survey a different insight, that we become dissatisfied with the appearance of our couch long before it ceases to be comfortable or structurally sound, then maybe we are throwing away our couches not because they are poorly made, but for other reasons?
So, lets sum up.
Key points Estimates still put the upper end of a couch's lifespan at 20 years, probably more like 15 years, no matter how much money you pour into it. The impulse to dispose of and replace that couch starts for most of us long before that couch has reached the end of its useful life.
Throw Away Furniture Less Often
As we said at the outset, one of the best ways to protect the environment (and save money) when it comes to upholstered furniture is to strive to get maximum use out of your pieces.
Instead of shopping for a new sofa, here are some things you can do to keep your upholstered furniture out of the landfill.
Protect & Care
Proper care and protection can prolong the life of your upholstered furniture.
Here are some tips. [For more tips on extending the life of your upholstered furniture, please also see, “Slipcovers Versus Upholstery (The Differences and Why They Matter)”.]:
- Vacuum your upholstered furniture regularly.
- Identify the right upholstery cleaner.
- Invest in stain protection products.
- Avoid exposing your furniture to direct sunlight, heat, moisture, or extreme temperatures.
- Rotate and flip your cushions and pillows periodically to distribute the wear and tear evenly.
- Hire a professional upholstery cleaner.
- Remove cushion covers for cleaning, if possible.
The way in which you use your upholstered furniture – how hard you are on it, how much you use is it, and how well you care for it – is a significant determinant of its lifespan.
Kids and pets can be particularly hard on upholstered furniture. No amount of quality or care can protect your couch from kitty’s claws.
Trust me.
Here an ounce of protection in the form of a furniture protector or slipcover is truly worth a pound of cure.
Repair & Refurbish
It is a very human and understandable desire to wish to live in a home that makes you proud and that “sparks joy” (nod to Marie Kondo).
But if the only thing standing between you and your couch is the way it looks, why not recover it instead of replace it?
You can expect to spend in the $1,500 to $3,000 range for a high-quality and durable couch and over $5,000 for a custom sofa. Even a budget-friendly couch will be in the $300 to $1,500 range.
On the other hand, even your more expensive ready-made slipcover will typically only run you $200 to $300.
So, instead of throwing away your couch, consider recovering it.
This cost-effective way to extend the life of your upholstered furniture is also a great way to reduce waste.
Recycle & Upcycle
When it does come time to part ways with your old couch, don’t just put it out on the curb.
Look for local charities, non-profits, or organizations that accept furniture donations.
Some well-known organizations include Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army.
I donated an old mattress and box springs to the Salvation Army and not only was my donation tax deductible. The Salvation Army came to my house and picked it up. Double bonus!
On the other side of the equation, instead of buying new furniture, buy used furniture.
Consider purchasing used furniture at garage sales or from online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. By giving old furniture a new life, you can both save money and reduce waste.
Of course, the same thrift stores that you can donate to, you can also shop at.
Ecommerce is even allowing more conventional furniture retailers to get into the resale business.
For example, furniture company Sabai has a buy-back program touted on their site as the “The 1st Furniture buyback program in the U.S.” This program, Sabai Revive, allows owners of Sabai pieces to list used furniture for resale through Sabai’s site. (And if the furniture sells, the previous owner receives a percentage of the resale price as a gift card or a check.)
Because second hand items already exist, purchasing them not only keeps them out of landfills but also keeps the product life cycle from starting over.
Confess! How old is your couch? Are you thinking about replacing it? And why?
We’d love to hear your story! Tell us all about it in the comments below.
