For most of the last century American furniture was made in Chicago and the South using American raw goods. As the EPA tightened pollution laws, many furniture manufacturers have found it much cheaper to move their factories overseas than to upgrade their American ones. Now, most furniture sold in the United States comes from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and many other similar countries.

While many people see this as just another aspect of the ever expanding process of globalization; the effects on our country, the environment, and work force are devastating. When you buy furniture you should consider more than just the sticker price!

The True Price of Cheap Furniture

Jobs

With many furniture factories closing down around the country and more furniture companies relying on imports, the domestic furniture job market has been decimated. Dozens of towns and communities that were centered around these furniture factories have been completely devastated. To make things worse, raw materials from around the world are sent to these overseas furniture factories completely bypassing the American logging industry and others.

The Environment

Furniture companies moved overseas to avoid compliance with the EPA’s tough emission and pollution restrictions. It’s simply cheaper for them to find a country with lax environmental laws and set up shop there. Many of these countries don’t care about the use of harmful chemicals or unsafe work conditions so large manufacturers can take the cheapest route possible to deliver that end table to Wal-Mart’s loading dock.

Furthermore, raw materials are being taken from delicate ecosystems like the Amazon’s rain forest and then shipped all around the world to the factories. After being constructed the final product is shipped around the world, only to be put on trucks and shipped even more. The effect of all of these greenhouse gas emissions expelled during the shipping process has a huge impact on our environment.

Made in America?

The Federal Trade Commission only mandates that U.S. content be disclosed for automobiles, textiles, wool and fur. If someone uses the “Made in America” tag it only has to be assembled here and have a certain percentage of the manufacturing costs spent in the U.S. This means a furniture company could have most of its product’s parts made in China, shipped here and slapped together before sale and still be considered “Made in America”.

The Solution? Buy Local

Once you factor in the environmental, economic, and human costs of that piece of cheap furniture it’s not really that great of a deal. The good news is that our country still has a thriving local furniture manufacturing industry. Some of the most notable furniture, in both quality and environmental friendliness, is made by the Amish.

These skilled craftsmen have been producing quality furniture from American wood and products for centuries and are the best examples of “Made in America” furniture you can find. Reasonably priced, these pieces will last you a lifetime instead of being landfill matter within a year or two like most big box store furniture.

We know that not everyone has easy access to Amish furniture, so that is why we work hard to bring you only the best pieces from the best craftsmen around the country. If you’re interested in buying furniture that is made from real wood, by true artisans and in an environmentally sound way then please take a look at our wide selection, here at Amish-Furniture-Home.com.

Formaldehyde

Pressed wood is used in many mass produced pieces. In addition to being a lower quality product, pressed wood contains urea-formaldehyde that is used in the adhesive. Pressed woods include particleboard, hardwood plywood used for panels and medium density fiberboard.

The formaldehyde is a gas that, when used throughout a home, can cause irritation in the eyes, nose, and throat as well as tiredness, asthma symptoms and rashes. People who are sensitive to the formaldehyde may experience more severe symptoms.

The concentration of the chemical in the home increases with the number of pressed board furniture pieces. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises limiting the number of pressed board pieces in the home in order to reduce the risk of formaldehyde contamination.

Polyvinyl Chloride

A chemical used in many plastics is also used to coat many low quality wood furniture pieces. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is considered a serious threat to human health and the environment for several reasons.

• The material uses or produces chemicals like vinyl chloride that are linked to cancers.
• Production of the material leads to groundwater and air pollution.
• Additives like lead are used in production and can become a hazard to your home.

Polyvinyl chloride is found in furniture made of faux wood and/or faux leather. They are inexpensive pieces, which appeals to families on a budget. However, the PVC can cause health problems that far outweigh the furniture savings. Buying real wood furniture is the only way to avoid buying pieces made with PVC as it is difficult to determine if the piece has been coated with the material.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Identifiable by the strong “new furniture smell” volatile organic compounds or VOC’s are a category of chemicals that include formaldehyde and also acetaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene and isocyanates. These chemicals are found in the stains, paints and furniture of a lower quality than real wood. Although formaldehyde is the headlining carcinogen in the group, the other compounds also buildup in the home environment, leading to allergic reactions.

Toxic Free Living

Buying real wood from a company known for using quality products is the best way to keep your home environment free of these harmful chemicals.  Many Amish furniture outlets like Amish Tables support chemical free stains and adhesives, resulting in eco-freindly, toxic-free furniture.

American-made Furniture

American made furniture makes up only half the furniture sold in the U.S. It is an industry that can greatly benefit from the Buy American mentality. However, finding such furniture may be a little difficult. Instead of checking the “Made in ____” stamp on every piece of furniture that you buy, tap into another movement that emphasizes the same ideals of the Buy America movement, but on a smaller scale. Buy Local.

To Buy Local is to buy American

We’ve heard politicians and economists alike proclaim that the American economy will find it’s resurgence in the fuel of independent, privately owned American small businesses. This initiative has been carried out in small towns across the country championing the “Buy Local Movement”.  We’ve been big supporters for our local business advocate organization, Think Local First.

Typically, local furniture showrooms are filled with furniture manufactured in nearby plants and warehouses. There is no need to turn over a piece or examine it for a country stamp. In addition, the pieces are handcrafted according to American standards and codes and therefore are both sturdy and stylish.

As we have pointed out in previous blog posts, buying local pieces transfers direct benefits to the community. With local workers selling goods to local homes, capital stays within the the local economy. Local taxes also come from the employees and the furniture company as added benefits for the local government and schools. Local artisans are able to find a larger market for their goods while the consumer takes home a one of a kind piece.

Buying Amish is Buying American

The Amish community of artisans makes and sells their furniture locally. These artisans are known for their craftsmanship and their simplicity. The pieces also adhere to American safety standards, something that has become very important through today’s frequent recalls.

The Amish community also creates their furniture from local materials. For example, the Red Oak Changing Table Wardrobe (shown right) is made from Northern Red Oak wood found in and around the Michigan, Indiana area. No rain forests are harmed or endangered trees are used in the creation of the pieces. The same can be said from all locally made furniture—if it is truly locally made.

Buy Local, Buy American

The point of both movements is to help the economy where you live. The largest benefits are of helping the community, the local artisans, and the employees of larger local furniture manufacturers. Those locally spent dollars get you a piece of furniture that is hand made by skilled people, not a fully automated process. Buying local and buying American can thus mean buying quality.

Furniture stores are chock full of “hand made” and “American Made” goods. The spirited “Buy American” campaign has always been apart of the American retail market, spurring US shoppers to support the economy and their neighbors.

Due to a variety of patriotic issues in the past decade, the authenticity of “American-Made” claims were rarely questioned. However, that was before the cribs started breaking.

A Revelation in a Recall

The American furniture industry, along with the National Consumer Safety Commission, set rules and guidelines for manufacturing safe furniture products. Unfortunately, these are rules that other nations tend to forgo. Usually, costs and time constraints prevent routine checks and safety measures. This leads to shortcuts in manufacturing and eventually an injury or (God forbid) death from use of that product. It also reveals that the furniture pieces were not truly made in the U.S.

The Year the Cribs Started Breaking

The large crib recall of 2009 is an example of how the safety issues can lead to the unimaginable. A number of deaths resulted in a large-scale recall of the baby furniture. More than one U.S. company imported and sold cribs that were not made to our nation’s furniture industry standards. One problem was a gap between the mattress and the wooden rail on the side of the crib. It was large enough to injure the infant.

Crumbling Slats

The slats themselves were also an issue. They were made from materials that could not withstand the daily crib use. Many of the cribs suffered broken slats, another hazard for small children.

The slats on many of the cribs were also too far apart to meet the furniture industry standards. The baby could get his head through the gap and have severe difficulty getting out. The subsequent crib recall revealed that the cribs were really manufactured in China, contrary to what their advertisers would have you believe. These cribs, like many other recalled furniture pieces before them, came from a nation that did not adhere to the same set of furniture-making standards and regulations as all U.S. furniture companies would have.

Truly American Made

A true American Made product is manufactured here in the U.S., using materials from American farms, forests, rivers and other natural resources. The true companies also adhere to standards that have consumer safety and product quality in mind. Family owned businesses like Amish Tables, LLC augment each new standard to the workmanship that the company has used for decades. The result is a truly American Made, safe, and gorgeous crib for your baby.