According to the EPA, building materials and furnishings are one of the major causes of indoor air pollution—which is why non-toxic furniture is a thing; and a much safer way to spruce up your home.
Before replacing your furniture though, let’s pause for a sec and consider how we navigate this.
Some of the elements you need to look for if you want toxin-free furniture include no flame retardants, formaldehyde, stain guards, toxic water repellents, PVC/vinyl, off-gassing polyurethane foam, toxic paint, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Ideally this will be backed up with relevant certifications and important sustainability credentials like responsible raw material sourcing, fair and transparent supply chains, green business practices and charitable giving.
Worth nothing here that we’re launching our Brand Rating System, which will better assess a brands’ sustainability credentials, including their climate impact and the durability of their products. For a deeper understanding of how the system works, read our explainer and keep an eye out for rated brands below.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
Non-Toxic Furniture Brands That Have Us (Off)Gassed
Medley knows there’s a better way. They produce an exciting range of non-toxic, made-to-last healthy furniture. Each piece is built in the US and made especially for you.
Sabai’s made-to-order sofa’s are assembled with VOC water-based glue and can be filled with CertiPUR-US®-certified foam. Fabrics are either OEKO-TEX certified or Greenguard Gold certified.
Index: Toxic-Free Furniture Brands
- Sabai Design Jump to brand
- Medley Jump to brand
- Burrow Jump to brand
- Avocado Jump to brand
- TFS Natural Home Jump to brand
Sabai Design
About Sabai
Price range: $495–$3,145
Sabai has a mission to design furniture that keeps costs low for customers and the planet.
Take your pick from the Essential Loveseat, Essential Sofa, Essential Sectional, or—to keep it simple with non-toxic accent chairs—the Essential Chair.
All products are made-to-order and fully customizable over a two-week creation period that’s worth the wait.
Sabai’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Sabai’s sofa and chair frames are made using FSC-certified wood and assembled using VOC-free water-based glue.
You have a choice of upholstery fabric, including OEKO-TEX and GRS-certified recycled velvet made from 100% recycled water bottles, or 100% upcycled Greenguard Gold-certified olefin polyester.
Both sustainable fabrics are stain-resistant, scratch-proof, and filled with recycled materials or CertiPUR-US®-certified non-toxic foam cushions.
Sabai products have no Proposition 65 warnings.
Supply Chain & labor practices
All natural furniture items from this Certified B Corp are made in a family-owned factory in High Point, North Carolina that’s committed to safety, quality, and living wages.
Carbon commitments & green practices
Sabai offers carbon-neutral shipping and customers are encouraged to repair rather than replace, and individual replacement parts are available.
There is a buyback program if you really must change your sofa and furbished sofas can be bought for up to 30% off.
Medley
About Medley
Price range: $995–$6,438
Brothers Travis and Ryan got into the furniture business by aptly selling furniture from their living room.
Their focus with Medley is to push the furniture industry forward.
They’ve now outgrown their living room, but they still offer a whole medley of affordable chemical-free furniture for yours, including sofas, sectionals, accent chairs, storage, dining room furniture, beds, and more.
Everything features clean lines, simple functionality, and minimalist vibes.
Medley’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Medley offers kiln-dried alder solid wood furniture frames and solid walnut and maple for tables and other hard goods. Component parts of storage pieces are crafted with FSC-certified, low-VOC CARB 2-compliant plywood.
Two kinds of cushions are used: CertiPUR-US®-certified foam and natural Dunlop latex, both of which meet updated emissions and durability standards without added flame retardants and formaldehyde.
The latex is made from the sap of rubber trees and is naturally mold-resistant, and antimicrobial.
Natural fibers used are Greenguard Gold, GOTS, and or OEKO-TEX certified, such as their OEKO-TEX wool that’s free of APEO, NPEO, pesticides, carcinogenic colorants, and heavy metals.
Synthetic fibers are used in some pieces, several of which incorporate plant-based water repellents. All are certified free of harmful chemicals.
They use plant-based finishes, like non-toxic furniture polish made of natural beeswax, carnauba wax, and olive oil. It’s odorless, zero VOC, and water- and heat-resistant.
Supply Chain & labor practices
All furnishings available are built in the US and made especially for individual customers when they place an order.
Burrow
About Burrow
Price range: $195–$7,090
Burrow is a furniture brand with a focus on setting new standards in terms of providing a modular platform, providing function and fashion, and investing in community and experience.
It’s managed to separate luxury sofas into modules, which allow customers to expand their furniture to suit changing needs. Simply add a seat to a loveseat to make a sofa. Or add shelving units that let your furniture grow with you.
Sofas aside, Burrow offers a complete range of bedroom furniture (bed frames, dressers, nightstands), shelving units, coffee and end tables, and outdoor furniture.
Burrow’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Burrow might use steel hardware and Baltic Birch frames, but the brand’s sofas feature a choice of wooden legs sourced from responsibly managed US forests or recyclable plated steel legs.
Other furniture contains sustainably-sourced solid hardwoods and veneered plywood.
In the upholstery department, non-toxic materials used include eco-leather, velvet, contract-grade polyester, and upcycled olefin.
Olefin is polypropylene, but its sustainability credentials are upgraded because it’s created from upcycled polymers. The processing uses no PFCs or chemical additives.
CertiPUR-US certified foam cushions add comfort and are made with no ozone depleters, heavy metals, phthalates, formaldehyde, or flame retardants. There are minimal VOCs.
Supply Chain & labor practices
Burrow furniture is made either domestically in a workshop in North Carolina, or by one of their partners in Poland, Vietnam, India, and Mexico.
Wood is sourced from suppliers bearing sustainable forestry certifications by the American Tree Farm System, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Avocado
About Avocado
Price range: $329–$2,799
They may be best known as a sustainable mattress brand, but that’s just the skin of this Avocado.
In addition to the highest independently rated adult, child, non-toxic crib mattresses and bedding, they offer a whole range of formaldehyde-free furniture for the bedroom and home, including end and accent tables, dressers, and solid wood bed frames.
Avocado’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Mattress bases are made from Dunlop organic latex made from their latex farm and processing factory in India. It is 100% GOLS, eco-INSTITUT®, and OEKO-TEX-certified.
This is paired with either RWS and GOTS-certified Gaddi wool, GOTS kapok fiber, or organic cotton, in the case of their PETA-approved vegan mattresses.
No memory or polyurethane foams are used and there is no synthetic latex or off-gassing furniture adhesives, earning them Greenguard Gold and the MADE SAFE certification.
A natural hydrated silica fire barrier replaces chemical flame retardants but still exceeds all federal flammability and CPSC standards.
The wooden furniture is made of reclaimed solid wood or FSC-certified wood, sealed with zero-VOC finishes.
Supply Chain & labor practices
The main materials used for this Certified B Corp’s range of products are sourced from India, where the company co-owns several FSC-certified organic rubber tree farms.
Its wool comes from company-owned and ethically raised free-range sheep, whose herders are paid a fair, living wage following ILO standards.
Manufacturing of the mattresses takes place in Avocado’s GOTS and GOLS organic-certified factory in Los Angeles.
Living wages, comprehensive medical care, paid volunteer days, remote work opportunities, and access to mental and physical health improving tools are guaranteed to all employees.
Carbon commitments & green practices
Avocado is one of several brands to be a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council and is an avid supporter of industry transformation from the inside.
This certified toxin-free furniture brand became the first mattress company to become Climate Neutral Certified. Twelve months later, they became carbon negative via a partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
They have also recently achieved the Zero Waste to Landfill verification from UL solutions.
Community & charitable giving
Avocado is a member of 1% For The Planet and donate to organizations like EcoHealth Alliance and Re:wild,
TFS Natural Home
About TFS Natural Home By The Futon Shop
Price range: $280–$7,990
The Futon’s Shop Natural Home collection is a safe place to start.
As you might guess, their range includes some of the most natural futons, but this formaldehyde-free furniture brand is more than just a one-hit-wonder.
You’ll also find mattresses, side and coffee tables, non-toxic sectionals and couches, and platform bed frames.
The TFS Natural Home’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
USDA organic cotton and GOLS-certified organic latex makes up Natural Home’s futon cushions and mattresses, along with select GOTS-certified organic wool, OEKO-TEX-certified coconut or hemp coir, and cashmere, horsetail, and camel hair.
While all bearing OEKO-TEX certification, we’re not certain about ethical sourcing of these latter three materials, so we recommend avoiding until we confirm with TFS directly.
100% FFC HARD pine is used for the futon and bed frames, and no glue and no finish ensure you’re purchasing furniture without formaldehyde or toxic chemicals.
Supply Chain & labor practices
A farm-to-furniture manufacturer, materials are mostly harvested locally, instead of traveling thousands of miles. Their handmade VOC-free furniture has been crafted in a San Francisco factory since the 70s.
Carbon commitments & green practices
US material sourcing and domestic manufacturing mean transportation emissions are kept to a minimum. Each product has a 20–30 year life expectancy.
Why "Non-Toxic" & What To Look For
Conventional furniture finishes (paints, stains, and polishes), adhesives, and fabrics are treated with a host of toxic chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) lead to furniture off-gassing. This in turn causes indoor air pollution.
These carcinogens, heavy metals, and neurotoxins are doing untold damage to human health—hence the need to look for low-VOC or no-VOC furniture.
Formaldehyde from furniture is especially concerning, as it can lead to organic toxicity, reproductive problems, and cancer.
We also want furniture without fire retardants, as these have been linked to disruption of the endocrine, thyroid, immune, and reproductive systems.
Toxicity Related Certifications, Memberships and Accreditations To Look Our For: