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At Sopha, we believe that the furniture industry can and should be a force for good in the world and we’re committed to continue learning what it means to be a ‘sustainable furniture retailer’. This commitment has lead us to provide high-quality, eco-friendly furniture that is sustainable from sourcing to manufacturing to disposal and we’re continuously striving to improve on every front.
Back when Matthew & Emily founded Sopha in 2015 they saw how much room for improvement there was in the sustainability of the furniture industry.
From manufacture to disposal they saw many ways that the industry seemed to be letting itself down and they were determined to push at the edges to see how they could create a furniture store with a difference.
When Matthew & Emily first approached some of their suppliers they were often knocked back, with many suppliers often not connecting with the idea of becoming sustainable. This is an industry that was used to cheap labour in Asia, huge shipping impacts and lots of chemical based products but with time and several glimmers of hope and suppliers with similar visions Matthew & Emily slowly started to build a collection of suppliers to go on a journey with.
At Sopha, we go above and beyond to find sustainable materials that are good for the planet and either encourage suppliers to use them or partner with suppliers that already do.
We’re really excited to use reclaimed wood which has been salvaged from otherwise going to waste. We also use large amounts of post-consumer plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills, such as our beds and sofas that use plastic bottles for their fillings.
By sourcing materials in the way that Sopha does we not only reduce our own environmental impact but we actively encourage our suppliers to use eco-friendly materials in the products they make for all of their customers, preserving our natural resources even further and helping fulfil Matthew & Emily’s vision of impacting the furniture industry for the good of all and creating a sustiainable furniture retailer. Additionally, we encourage our suppliers to come on the journey with us and we support them in making their own commitment to sustainability.
When asking the question ‘what is sustainable furniture?’ It’s simply not enough to just source sustainable materials.
We also need to ensure our furniture is manufactured in a way that is good for the planet. That’s why we partner with manufacturers who commit to use non-toxic finishes, minimise waste and use energy efficient production methods.
The manufacturers we work with have each made their own commitments to sustainable furniture manufacturing. This may be through powering their factories with clean electricity or many of our suppliers have gone as far as heating their facilities with their own waste material, further cutting down on road miles.
Our partner manufacturers have won many awards, including:
Using sustainably sourced eco-friendly materials and producing sustainable furniture in eco-friendly factories is only part of the story. An increasingly important part of producing ethical and sustainable furniture is the way the furniture is designed.
Before creating a product for Sopha sustainability needs to be a huge part of the brief. Not only using sustainable materials but using them responsibly and ensuring waste during the production of a piece of furniture not only boosts it’s environmental credentials but can also reduce the costs too!
Thinking about the ‘end of life’ for a product at the design stage is possibly one of the most exciting recent changes in the industry. Mattresses have been notorious for using layers of un-recyclable glued-together foams with no thought to what would happen to the mattress when nobody has a use for it anymore. Sopha are committed to working with our suppliers to find ways of making each of our products easier to recycle at the end of their life just as we make them more sustainable at the start.
Beyond our products we are committed to making a positive impact on the local community. Our founders and our wider team commit many hours every week to voluntary causes.
We participate in local sustainability initiatives such as beach cleans. We donate items collected from our customers for disposal to local charities and we partner with other organisations that share our commitment to sustainability.
When we purchased our building back in 2016 it was two large, draughty properties with little insulation and severe damp problems. Through an investment and building project that took almost 3 years we have created a building that helps us work towards our environmental aims. All of our shop lighting is LED and we aim to reduce the energy we use through the newly installed installation not just in the walls and ceilings, but also below the floor slab.
At Sopha, we believe that education is an important part of promoting sustainability.
We regularly post tips, tricks and guides as well as many other resources to help you make informed decisions on the sustainability of our furniture and living choices to our blog and our social media channels. Matthew also writes occasional articles for the industry press ensuring that other businesses are inspired by Sopha’s lead in sustainable furniture retail.
By shopping at Sopha, you can feel good knowing that your purchase is making a positive impact on the planet.
From the recycled post-consumer plastic fillings to our sustainable sourced timber, every piece of furniture we sell has information about how it has been sustainably sourced or manufactured on it’s product page. Thank you for choosing to shop for eco friendly and sustainable furniture with us and for helping us work towards a sustainable future.
We are proud of our reputation as a sustainable furniture retailer, and we would love to hear from our customers about their experience with our products. We encourage you to check out our customer testimonials and reviews from reputable sources.
If you have any questions or would like more information about how to buy sustainable furniture, products or services, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our store is located on the A38 in Highbridge and we’re open 7 days a week. You can also reach us by phone on 01278 557755. We look forward to hearing from you!
