Sustainable decor: 8 common misconceptions that need to be looked at in a different way
Labels, transport, reparability, recycling… unravel the truth from the lies through 8 common misconceptions to better understand the challenges of sustainable design.
Materials, labels, reparability, recycling… Sustainable decoration inspires as many desires as it does misconceptions. Is an object from afar necessarily more polluting? Does a label always guarantee what we believe? Behind the logos and promises, Home Beauty unravels the truth from the lies: eight assertions, eight verdicts, to choose with knowledge the objects that inhabit our interiors.
Transport is the most important factor in calculating the environmental impact of an object.
FALSE.
It is often assumed that an object that has come from far away has an ecological footprint burdened by its journey. The figures tell a different story. At JJA, transport accounts for about 10 % % of the company’s carbon footprint. The first point of impact is elsewhere: in the choice of materials. Before looking at where an object comes from, it is therefore better to ask ourselves what it is composed of.
A textile label guarantees that the material is recycled.
FALSE.
Not all labels say the same thing. The most well-known one, OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, It certifies the absence of harmful substances in a textile. More than 1,000 substances are tested, according to criteria revised every year. This label does not say anything about the recycled origin of the fiber. To do this, you must look for the Global Recycled Standard (GRS). It guarantees raw materials derived from at least 20 % recycled materials, whether fabric, plastic, glass or metal.
→ More information in our guide to sustainable labels
An FSC® product is made from wood sourced from certified forests.
TRUE AND FALSE.
The Forest Stewardship Council, established in 1993, guarantees sustainable forest management. But its logo includes three distinct designations. The «FSC® 100» % refers to a product entirely made from virgin fiber from certified forests. The «FSC® Recycled» identifies products made from % 100% recycled fiber. The «FSC® Mixed» finally combines certified wood, recycled material, and other controlled, virgin sources. A careful look at the label allows one to know exactly what one is buying.
The durability of a product is determined before it is manufactured.
TRUE.
At JJA, The durability of products is a quality standard. The Group has indeed created a dedicated position for this purpose. CSR compliance Within the quality department, to strengthen the integration of environmental and societal issues into its product standards. And it all starts at the upstream level., from the very beginning of the design process. Materials, finishes and processes condition the future robustness of a product.
The approach follows several steps. It starts with a functional analysis, identifies the risks of failure, and then targets the critical components to be strengthened, placing great importance on their reparability. Objective: To focus efforts where the impacts on longevity are most tangible.. The Good Living Score This approach is accompanied by a combination of mastery of the materials, understanding of the impacts, and an extension of the lifespan of the product.
It is enough to be able to replace a broken part in order for a piece of furniture to be repairable.
FALSE.
Repairability is a concept that is more demanding than it seems. It requires long-term availability of spare parts, accessible operating instructions and technical diagrams, and the ability to disassemble the product using standard tools and standardized components that are compatible over time. Therefore, a replaceable part is a prerequisite for reparability, but it is not sufficient in itself.
A recyclable material eventually ends up being recycled.
TRUE AND FALSE.
This is one of the most widespread confusion. A material that is theoretically recyclable is not always recycled in practice, for technical, economic or logistical reasons. It all depends on the actual available channels. For example, wood, glass and metal generally benefit from established and effective recycling circuits. This is not the case for certain plastics or composite materials. That is why The Good Living Score assesses recyclability based on the concrete solutions available in France to valorize a product at the end of its life.
> Repairability, recyclability, traceability: discover how these new requirements transform furniture
The social risks in manufacturing mainly affect Asia.
FALSE.
In Europe, we tend to believe that we are more virtuous than other regions of the world. A bias that Linda Kromjong, president of amfori, the international association of responsible trade in which JJA has been a partner since 2014, calls for us to overcome in her book. interview. Human rights risks exist everywhere, in all countries and sectors. They take various forms: forced labor, child labor, excessive working hours, lack of protective equipment, discrimination… As for Asian suppliers, they have made considerable progress in twenty years. At JJA, almost 100 % % of the purchase amount is covered by a social audit.
To go further:
- Interview with Nicolas Souraqui, Director of Operations, JJA:« The terrain and collaboration allow us to overcome the preconceived notions about Made in China »
- Analysis: Made in China: The reality behind the stereotypes
Every piece of decor has an impact.
TRUE.
Whether it’s a piece of furniture or just a vase, No object is neutral. Its manufacture mobilizes materials and resources, its transport generates emissions, and its production also involves a social reality linked to the conditions in which it was manufactured.
But that is exactly what the seven previous common misconceptions show: not all impacts are equal and, above all, they are not reduced to a single criterion. Material matters, as do the design of the product, its durability, its reparability, the possibilities for value creation at the end of its life cycle, and the conditions of its manufacture.
Therefore, talking about sustainable design does not mean seeking an «impactless» product. Rather, it involves a better understanding of what makes up its footprint and the levers that can be used to reduce it: prioritizing materials with a lower impact, reusing resources that have already been extracted, designing products that last longer, or better understanding the conditions under which they are manufactured.
This is also the approach we pursue at JJA: measure to better understand, then act where the levers are most relevant.
