Eco-friendly furnishings are furniture products for the home and office that contribute to a sustainable environment. These "green" products include both soft furnishings such as sofa covers and hard furnishings such as sofa frames. Eco-friendly furnishings are becoming more and more popular as we look for ways to cut down on air pollution as well as pollution in our land fills.

Eco-friendly furnishings for the home and office use recycled and recyclable materials down to the last detail. Glues and dyes are non-toxic as are foams. Fabrics made from items such as recycled drink containers may be used. Today, eco-friendly cubicles, dividers, desks and desk chairs can all be produced for the office. All the furnishings for the home environment can also be made in an eco-friendly way from sofas and tables to accessories such as hemp pillows and organic cotton drapes.

Eco-friendly furnishings have a positive affect on indoor air quality. Traditional furnishings contain chemicals such as formaldehyde that do affect the air we breathe. Eco-friendly furnishings use water-based or bio-based products that eliminate the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are found in many traditional glues and finishes.

The use of wood is an important concept in eco-friendly furnishings. Eco-friendly furniture does not include hardwood obtained from forests that are considered to be ill-managed in terms of their ecological impact. Instead, lumber companies with a commitment to sustainability practices are chosen by eco-friendly furnishings manufacturers. Steel may also be used in eco-friendly furnishings since it's considered a "green" metal because it can be easily recycled. Actually, steel is the most recycled material worldwide.

While the idea of eco-friendly furnishings can seem limiting to interior design, the opposite is true if creativity is used. Refurbishing, recycling and reusing materials offer many options for many different kinds of looks. Some companies make over items that would have ended up in the land fill. Any pieces that "green" furniture companies don't use are recycled whenever possible. The continued recycling of manufacturing waste is part of the eco-friendly furnishings manufacturing industry.