What Makes Classroom Furniture Eco-Friendly? Let Us Count the Ways.

It’s hard to believe there was a time when students thought green was just another color choice in the Crayola box. Today, most kids are taught from a young age the value of “going green,” the catchall phrase for protecting the environment. Thankfully, educators can launch the learning by simply pointing to the eco-friendly classroom furniture at students’ fingertips.

Green school tables, seating, storage units and more now populate thousands of classrooms. Yet, sustainable furniture is more than selecting a manufacturer who minimizes waste or uses low volatile organic compound (VOC) raw materials. This article walks readers through what constitutes “eco-friendly” in a much broader sense. It also provides examples of how one K-12 classroom furniture manufacturer, Smith System, is minimizing its planetary footprint.

LEEDing the Way

Selecting green furniture often comes on the heels of a much larger mission to achieve a green school. In part, that means creating a school made of eco-friendly building materials that meet emissions standards and are designed to protect indoor air quality. Increasingly, school administrators, architects, and designers are placing high value on green schools by aiming for LEED certification.

For those asking, “What is LEED?” it stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.

According to data released by the U.S. Green Building Council in early 2015, there were:

• More than 1,400 K-12 projects are LEED certified
• More than 1,900 K-12 projects are LEED registered (LEED certification is in progress)
• More than 3,050 higher education are LEED projects certified
• More than 3,200 higher education are LEED projects registered

Green Attributes

Being an eco-friendly consumer begins with being an eco-friendly information hound. Below are eight topics to kick start the “green” discussion with potential school furniture suppliers.

Certifications

Many manufacturers will promote green certifications they’ve earned for low emissions of VOCs, a primary concern in school environments. VOCs are emitted from sources commonly used in educational institutions such as furnishings, paint, cleaning agents, solvents, flooring products, building materials, even technological devices and markers.

As defined by the Minnesota Department of Health, VOCs are a large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature. While most people can smell some VOCs, other VOCs have no odor. Also, odor does not correlate with the level of risk from inhalation of this group of chemicals. Studies have shown that exposure to VOCs may increase the risk of childhood respiratory problems, particularly asthma.

“There are real short- and long-term health concerns students face from exposure to poor indoor air quality,” said Molly Risdall, VP Sales for Smith System®. “Children are more exposed to environmental toxins than adults, which places responsibility on manufacturers to make sure that their school products are designed to support learning while not being a detriment to children’s health.” Additionally, young children and the elderly, as well as people with heightened sensitivity to chemicals may be more susceptible to irritation and illness from VOCs.

One of the most upfront points schools can earn toward LEED certification is selecting low-emitting materials for school furnishings. It’s easiest to choose classroom furniture that is UL Greenguard certified.

Smith System® first achieved the designation in 2006 after its products underwent rigorous testing on each material used in the company’s furniture pieces. Additionally, each new or enhanced product undergoes the same UL Greenguard testing process. Recertification happens quarterly and annually.

Risdall also encourages buyers to ask student furniture suppliers about formaldehyde emissions (Smith meets CREL standards), and where the wood is sourced from?

NOTE: When selecting furniture to improve the indoor air quality of schools, be mindful of companies falsely promoting products with green certifications. Always verify certifications with the certifying body.

Lean Manufacturing

Look for suppliers who implement lean manufacturing strategies. Efficiency in the manufacturing processe reduces waste on many levels – raw materials, electricity, water, machinery replacement, etc. Ask how a company reduces consumption of raw materials and resources. Smith System® is increasing its use of recycled steel and renewable resources in products.

Shipping

Analyze how manufacturers package and ship their products. Is there excessive packaging? Does the manufacturer work with its vendors to monitor their packaging? Smith System® has made great progress in reducing the amount of corrugated cardboard it uses.

Maintenance/Repair

Do furnishings have easily replaceable parts so that entire products don’t have to be scrapped if only one component breaks or gets worn? Is it easy to retrofit an older piece of furniture with newer parts or more modern accessories?

Recyclability

When furniture reaches the end of its useful life, how easily can it be disassembled? What elements can be recycled or upcycled? Are any components biodegradable? Smith System® is increasing the recyclability of its products. Most of its chairs are composed of polypropylene plastics and chromed steel, and like its book trucks, are 99 percent recyclable.

You can also dig deeper and ask how a company recycles its materials waste, including items that don’t meet quality standards. Smith System® was recently faced with 50,000 pounds of plastic from chair shells and edge moldings that didn’t meet the company’s strict standards. Rather than send the material to the landfill, they had the material recycled for use by another manufacturer.

Flexibility

Furniture that has multiple uses throughout the classroom is more sustainable than specialty items, such as chairs permanently tethered to desks. Chairs on casters allow students to quickly reconfigure the space for program and curriculum changes, and to working individually or in small groups. Moveable space dividers with whiteboards let teachers create learning pods in moments. Tables that fit into various configurations let collaboration grow and shrink with each project. All of this reduces the need for additional furniture.

Quality

Exceptional quality almost always equates to durability and longevity. The longer classroom furniture can stay in service, the longer they’ll stay out of landfills – and reduce consumption of untapped resources to make replacements. Choose a manufacturer who uses materials that stand up to daily use in classrooms or elsewhere.

Smith System® combines high-quality materials with proven techniques. They use high-pressure laminate, thick chrome plating, and rugged edge moldings, coupled with MIG welds on chair legs, durable glides, baked-on powder-coat surfaces and edge moldings stapled every 10 inches and in corners.

Color Choices

Lastly, let’s talk about aesthetics. Having a generous choice of colors for school furnishings and their finer touches (for example, table trim) may not seem like a sustainable practice, but it is. Furnishings sporting a school’s spirit colors will never go out of style. Trendy colors will, and give a schools a dated feel.

By keeping this eco-friendly information in mind, decision makers can purchase sustainable classroom furniture that meets the needs of students and educators now and for generations to come.

SELECTED SOURCES

• “EPA Helps Schools Increase Environmental Health,” by Kudret Utebay and Michele Curreri, May 2015.
• “The Furniture Effect,” by Ellen Kollie, School Planning & Management, Nov. 2014.
• “The Green Room,” by Kimberlee Payton-Jones, American School & University, May 2015.
• Minnesota Department of Health website: health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/voc
• U.S. Green Building Council website: usgbc.org