The 56th China International Furniture Fair (Shanghai)
September 9-12, 2025

Shanghai Home Furnishing Expo | Major Trends in the Home Furnishing Industry: Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Material Processes Will Lead Future Design and Development

2024-06-24 18:49:00

With the continuous development of society and the improvement of consumption levels, people's pursuit of a high-quality living environment is also increasing. The selection of green and environmentally friendly furniture has naturally become one of the correct ways to open and enjoy a healthy life. Based on this, sustainable and environmentally friendly furniture has been causing waves in the design industry in recent years, with a large number of bio based and recyclable materials entering the furniture industry. Through redesign, a series of products with themes of environmental protection, low-carbon, health, high performance, and high aesthetics are brought to everyone, which may lead the future development of the furniture industry.


Shanghai Home Furnishing Expo got information that Low carbon, environmental protection, and sustainability have been major development concepts and strategic directions in various countries around the world in recent years, and are also key considerations for CMF designers in major product industries in the future. In addition, with the evolution and development of the overall environment, people's time at home is gradually extending, and there are also new requirements for the CMF design of home products. While pursuing products with long lifespan, high aesthetics, and high stability, the element of health and environmental protection is gradually entering the minds of consumers. Based on this, green furniture made with environmentally friendly materials and processes has a broader market prospect and gradually enters people's vision.


According to a survey by the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC), 86% of respondents stated that using environmentally friendly materials and processes ranked fourth in terms of factors affecting furniture purchasing decisions. 90% of respondents stated that the chemicals and materials used in furniture manufacturing are important factors influencing their purchasing decisions.

At the same time, the search volume for "ecological furniture" and "environmentally friendly furniture" on eBay increased by 171%. According to a report by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the furniture resale industry's sales are expected to reach $16.6 billion in 2025, a 70% increase from 2018.

Research&Market.com suggests that the global market size for environmentally friendly furniture is expected to reach $50.1 billion by 2027.


Shanghai Home Furnishing Expo got information that From the data, it can be seen that the importance of environmental protection in home CMF design is gradually increasing, especially in foreign countries. This means that furniture materials and processes will undergo significant changes, and sustainable materials such as bio based, biodegradable, and recyclable materials may dominate the future design and development of the furniture industry. However, due to people's unwillingness to reduce the lifespan and performance of furniture products, the requirements for materials and craftsmanship are undoubtedly higher. For enterprises, it is both a business opportunity and a challenge. Let's take a look at sustainable and environmentally friendly materials in the furniture industry.


1. Recyclable materials


The types and proportions of recyclable materials are relatively flexible, including household waste, scraps, industrial waste, waste plastics, recycled metals, etc., which are recycled and reused in a certain proportion. There are various types, including plastic, metal, glass, fabric, paper, wood, wool, cotton, etc., which are commonly used in furniture products such as chairs and sofas.



2. Biological (base) materials


Shanghai Home Furnishing Expo got information that In addition to recyclability, research on the application of bio based materials has been ongoing and is currently being piloted in furniture markets at different levels. Furniture made from materials with different biological components have their own characteristics, for example, plant-based furniture can be created with a unique organic touch; Mycelia is an ideal substitute for leather, with more batch and renewable characteristics; Bamboo furniture is deeply loved by people in the home furnishings industry; Marine materials such as shells and seaweed have greater potential for development.


Article source: Sohu

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