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Cited by 70Sustainable Design and DevelopmentSustainable Supply Chain ManagementEnvironmental Sustainability in Business

Sustainable practices in furniture design: a literature study on customization, biomimicry, competitiveness, and product communication

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Bumgardner, Matthew S., Nicholls, David L.·2020·Forests
DOI 10.3390/f11121277
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Abstract

This research considers the ecosystem services associated with furniture, one of the leading types of secondary wood products manufactured internationally. We review and synthesize the literature surrounding the sustainable design, use, and disposition of wood furniture and related products in global markets. We consider emerging and innovative design strategies for wood (in biomimicry, for example) as well as topics that have been gaining traction in recent years (i.e., green supply chain management and eco/environmental labels and related market communications). An overarching theme is to consider how firm competitiveness can be influenced, or even enhanced, by green practices in design and associated communications with consumers. With a trend toward increasing customization in the secondary wood product marketplace, the role of design might be changing. However, design remains a critical product development function in modern markets, and designers are well-positioned to influence sustainable material utilization and improve furniture product use and lifespan.

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  • Design choices made for new furniture need to consider the furniture's lifetime, maximize recycling and remanufacturing options, and consider the materials to be used.

    “Design choices made for new furniture need to consider the furniture's lifetime, maximize recycling and remanufacturing options, and consider the materials to be used (Bumgardner and Nicholls, 2020), i.e., minimizing the number of materials and components, making them easy to identity and separate, and increasing the use of recyclable and reusable materials (Cordella and Hidalgo, 2016).”

    From Implementation and management of a circular public procurement contract for furniture (2023) · cites this paper as Bumgardner and Nicholls, 2020

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Bumgardner, M. S., & Nicholls, D. L.
Affiliations
  • Northern Research Station (US)
  • Pacific Northwest Research Station (US)
Corresponding author
Nicholls, David L.
Venue
Forests
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-11-28
Volume
11
Issue
12
Pages
1277
ISSN
1999-4907 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/f11121277
OpenAlex
W3110571882
Cited by
70
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 11
FWCI
4.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Forests (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Design and Development
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
Keywords
sustainable furniture design, wooden furniture, biomimetics, customization, green supply chain management, eco-labels, product communication, enterprise competitiveness, ecosystem services, product lifetime

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