7 Recycled Plastic Outdoor Furniture Brands Greening Up Your Backyard
It feels good to be close to nature.
Sure, it might not be the Appalachian mountains, but it’s your sanctuary and the perfect opportunity to snatch back a little nature time within easy reach.
And while you’re getting some good ol’ vitamin D, why not get your daily dose of vitamin C—for “circularity”, i.e. from recycled plastic outdoor furniture?
Getting out into the fresh air and sitting in your ecological garden, even if it’s just for a few minutes, is a great mood adjuster—but you could improve that outdoor space further by kicking back on some sustainable outdoor furniture, particularly patio furniture made from recycled plastic.
So let’s start with a quick introduction to a couple of upcycling champions who’ve taken recycled outdoor furniture to another level.
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Recycled Patio Furniture Brands At The Top Of The Deck
Loll Designs uses ultra-durable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) made partially from recycled materials. You can leave their plastic recycled furniture out in all weather, all year around, and still have it last for years and years.
Next up is SkiChair, which makes outdoor furniture made from blemished and used sports equipment. When skis, wakeboards, snowboards, skateboards, and various other sports equipment find themselves on the slopes of retirement, this company turns them into chairs, benches, and more.
If you’re wondering how we narrowed down the list to a select few, head down to the end of the article and find out how these recycled plastic outdoor furniture manufacturers are a cut above the rest.
The Best Recycled Plastic Outdoor Furniture Brands
- Loll Designs | Visit Store
- Yardbird | Visit Store
- Skichair | Visit Store
- POLYWOOD | Visit Store
- C.R Plastic Products | Visit Store
- Emeco | Visit Store
- Breezesta | Visit Store
1. Loll Designs
About Loll Designs
Price range: $125–$6,185
Loll Designs started life as a building contractor specializing in custom municipal skate parks using recycled post-industrial plastic.
The skate park side of the business was eventually sold, so the owners could focus on “lollygagging” and become part of the zero waste circular economy.
Now sourcing post-consumer plastics, they make a wide selection of recycled material outdoor furniture in the USA.
Products such as the Rapson Recycled Rocking Chair are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) primarily sourced from milk jugs.
Loll Designs Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Loll Design’s outdoor furniture made of recycled plastic relies heavily on the #2 type of plastic found in milk jugs—about eight jugs per pound of product.
At the end of their life, the recycled patio furniture can be recycled, too, down to the stainless steel fasteners and aluminum inserts.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Loll’s recycled plastic furniture is made in the USA using materials sourced locally.
USA manufacturing means certain worker protections, but we’ll touch base with the brand regarding any further fair trade compliance efforts.
Carbon commitments & green practices
More than 88% of the company’s manufacturing waste is recycled at a local recycling plant. The remainder is incinerated and used to make electricity.
They’ve attained a Cradle to Cradle Certified SILVER™ rating for 84% of the product line after evaluation on five categories including social fairness, water stewardship, carbon management, renewable energy, material reutilization, and material health.
Community & charitable giving:
A member of 1% for the Planet, 1% of gross sales from all plastic recycled furniture sold in the Lollygagger Collection is donated annually to charitable groups.
Loll has been instrumental in the creation of Clean Yer Creek. During this annual spring clean-up event, volunteers gather hundreds of pounds of trash from multiple creeks and plant trees along the creek beds.
2. Yardbird
About Yardbird
Price Range: $280–$5,800
Yardbird has found a way to beautify your trash and turn it into treasure.
More specifically, recycled plastic outdoor chairs, sofa sets, loveseat sets, dining sets, chaise lounges, and fire table sets.
Sustainability is at the core of the Yardbird recycled plastic furniture range, and there is a whole range of matching sets of lawn recycled lawn furniture to choose from.
The Waverly collection uses multi-toned wicker made from recovered ocean-bound plastic wraps.
Yardbird’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Yardbird’s Waverly furniture sets use 64% recycled plastic and commercial-grade aluminum.
The recycled plastic comes from intercepted ocean plastic. It’s gathered in particularly vulnerable areas in the Philippines and transformed into outdoor patio furniture.
Additional raw materials include real wood (Indonesian teak), foam, fade-and-water-resistant Sunbrella fabric, and recycled HDPE wicker.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Each recycled plastic furniture piece is crafted one-at-a-time using materials sourced from the USA, Asia, and Europe.
Yardbird can keep prices at a minimum because it sources products directly, meaning there’s no need for a middleman.
The final assembly takes place in Vietnam, China, and the US. We’ll be reaching out to clarify the ethical practices at their factories.
Carbon Commitments & green practices
When it comes to getting plastic recycled, furniture may not be the finished product you first think of, but Yardbird proves it has the potential to transform tremendous amounts of it into long-lasting products.
In 2022 alone, they transformed 430,000 pounds of ocean-bound plastics into recycled plastic patio furniture.
Much of the furniture sold by this brand can be recycled once it reaches the end of its life.
Fully aware of the negative impact transportation impacts the environment, Yardbird partners with the carbon offset program Carbon Fund.
3. Skichair
About Skichair
Price Range: $15–$3,499
You might have broken out your eco-friendly camping gear to have a backyard sleepover, but have you considered decorating your yard in old outdoor gear?
Skis, boards, clubs, bats, and other unloved sports equipment don’t need to take the ski lift to the landfill when their owner swaps them out for something new or retires from a sport.
Instead, it can end up with Skichair, a manufacturer of recycled chairs and other recycled plastic furniture.
Top of the range is a Big Plastic 10-foot tall Adirondack chair made from recycled HDPE and a back fan of old skis, so you can enjoy your very own Game of Thrones moment in your backyard.
Skichair’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Skichair’s products are mostly made from Port Orford cedar from Oregon and pre-loved sports equipment, such as blemished and used water and snow skis.
Bench legs and some chair seats are made from recycled milk and soda bottles.
Each piece can be custom-made, selecting from Skichair’s vast stock of more than 100,000 skis and 5,000 hockey sticks.
Supply chain & labor practices:
One man is responsible for the construction of each piece.
The “Master Chair Rigger” custom builds each Skichair and only builds one per day from his Massachusetts studio.
Carbon commitments & green practices
Skichair has committed to recycling a combination of 50,000 skis, boards, clubs, and bats each year.
Customers are encouraged to ship their own sports equipment or drop it off at the company’s Massachusetts manufacturing center to give those old skis a second life—this time on the slopes of a yard.
4. POLYWOOD
About POLYWOOD
Price Range: $229–$3,195
POLYWOOD by name, POLYWOOD by nature—but the real wood kind of nature.
Named after the material used in production, POLYWOOD is a manufacturer of outdoor furniture made out of recycled plastic.
This brand recycles millions of ocean-bound and landfill-bound containers every year and cleverly transforms them into some of the best recycled plastic outdoor furniture.
For a recycled plastic chair you can comfortably curl up with a sustainability book in, the Nautical Arms Chaise is comfortable yet durably designed to withstand all kinds of weather for years.
POLYWOOD’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
POLYWOOD redirects millions of landfill-bound and ocean-bound plastic containers, turning them into POLYWOOD plastic lumber.
POLYWOOD furniture is made using plastics such as milk jugs that could otherwise pollute oceans and overwhelm landfills—and it can also be recycled when the time comes.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All POLYWOOD recycled plastic furniture is built in the USA. There are facilities in Syracuse, Indiana, and Roxboro, North Carolina.
It has set itself a goal to provide more than 1450 American jobs by 2023.
Carbon Commitments & green practices
99% of POLYWOOD’s waste stream is recycled including glass, plastic bottles, shrink wrap, fasteners, and all plastic lumber scrap from the production floor, making for a zero waste operation.
5. C.R Plastic Products
About C.R Plastic Products
Price Range: $142–$747
C.R Plastic Products is an Ontario-based company, but you’ll find its outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic at various authorized online retailers across Canada and the US.
CR creates premium furniture from recycled plastic and nothing else.
Take the classic Adirondack Chair, for example; It’s made from 579 single-use milk jugs. How’s that for a sustainable milk alternative?
C.R Plastic Products Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
C.R Plastic Product’s catalog includes items made using HDPE plastic found in milk jugs, bottle caps, detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, and juice containers.
It’s ground up, blended with pigment (though we’re not sure if these are sustainable dyes or not), and remolded into durable outdoor furniture items.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Products are all ethically assembled in North America.
Over 200 employees from the local community work in C.R Plastic Product’s vertically integrated facility in Ontario, Canada.
Carbon Commitments & green practices
Millions of pounds of plastic that would have been destined for our oceans and landfills are diverted to the C.R factory, where it’s pelletized and extruded into unique recycled plastic lumber and component molds.
You can get a lifetime’s use out of each product, as they’re guaranteed never to crack, rot, or split.
6. Emeco
About Emeco
Price Range: $330–$4,067
Based in Pennsylvania, Emeco is an innovative and unique American-made furniture brand.
The root of the company’s design ethos is a lightweight recycled aluminum chair for Navy warships first made in 1944.
Almost a century later, they still offer this original chair, as well as the updated 111 Navy Chair, which swaps out recycled aluminum for 111 recycled plastic bottles.
If you want classic Americana style with your outdoor furniture, recycled plastic and salvaged aluminum combine to make simple yet stunning pieces of outdoor furniture including chairs, stools, benches, and tables.
Emeco’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Emeco uses almost entirely natural or reclaimed materials, such as reclaimed wood polypropylene (WPP), eco-concrete (made from recycled glass bottles), cork, sustainably harvested wood, plastic bottles (rPET), and recyclable aluminum.
The only virgin material used is aluminum for the aluminum frames, but it’s endlessly recyclable, durable, and lightweight—making it easy to move your furniture with you no matter where you may go.
Many of the materials used are Cradle to Cradle Gold and/or FSC-certified. Most are free from formaldehyde and VOCs.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Emeco’s recycled outdoor furniture is manufactured in Hannover, Pennsylvania. This is an area famous for Amish woodworkers, so Emeco didn’t have to look far for responsible wood sourcing.
US manufacturing and local sourcing help this manufacturer preserve skills and craftsmanship and support the local economy.
Carbon Commitments & green practices
Guided by the motto “make something well, it can survive anything”, Emeco products are designed to last at least 150 years.
90% are made from recycled materials, and the brand is aiming to make that percentage even higher.
The brand works to conserve energy and water and is transparent about its carbon footprint. Measurements are taken “cradle-to-gate” and then published.
The Emeco navy chair, for example, has a typical footprint of 14.88 kg CO2e, compared to an average of 30-60 kg CO2e for a standard chair.
7. Breezesta
About Breezesta
Price Range: $237–$10,270
Using HDPE poly lumber, Breezesta offers a classy selection of outdoor furniture including Adirondack chairs, fire tables, garden benches, and more, all with a limited lifetime warranty.
Breezesta products are “full circle”, made from recycled plastic and recyclable itself.
Colors range from berry red through to black, but if you’re looking for a more traditional color, white recycled plastic outdoor furniture is another option.
Breezesta’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Recycled plastic lumber is the main ingredient across the range of Breezesta’s furniture collections.
This dense and durable material is created from waste milk jugs and water bottles.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The entire manufacturing process takes place in the USA, from the processing of plastic waste to the construction of the recycled and recyclable plastic furniture.
Carbon Commitments & green practices
Post-consumer plastic and post-industrial recycled plastic are both used. The result is a product that can also be recycled, completing the chain.
Breezesta has a recycling plant where it converts #2 milk jugs into plastic lumber.
All other plastic bottles are sold off for industrial usage. Next to each product in its catalog, you find the number of milk jugs used to make each piece of furniture.
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How We Found The Best Brands of Recycled Plastic Outdoor Furniture
When it comes to indoor sustainable furniture, plastic usually isn’t our material of choice, but when it comes to patio furniture, plastic (provided it’s recycled and durable) is actually one of the most sustainable options for your outdoor space.
It’s durable and highly weather-resistant, unlike wood, which can swell, warp, and rot when exposed to sunlight and moisture—plus it won’t give you wood splinters!
If you’re wondering how to clean recycled plastic outdoor furniture, it couldn’t be easier. Recycled plastic outdoor furniture is extremely low maintenance and cleans with a water hose or soft-bristled brush and a mild cleanser.
In addition to being recycled, the following sustainable and ethical fashion and homewares criteria were used to help us decide the best recycled plastic outdoor furniture manufacturers.
Materials:
Any kind of recycled material furniture is acceptable, but when plastic is involved, we especially look for HDPE made from recycled plastic bottles, milk jugs, or ocean waste due to its density and durability.
Not everything can be made from these materials, so if not, we look for renewable options such as sustainable wood including cork, teak, mahogany, bamboo, and rattan.
For real wood, sustainable harvesting is essential, ideally from sources with sustainable forestry certifications.
- Certifications: Cradle to Cradle Certified, Forest Steward Council (FSC)
Supply chain and labor practices:
We were thrilled to find most of these are made-in-the-USA recycled furniture brands, which already means more ethical conditions due to America’s more stringent labor standards.
Still, we would love to see more manufacturing certifications and confirmation of working conditions and fair pay from all these brands.
Yardbird is the only manufacturer with a workforce outside the US. We are going to be consulting with them to find out about their labor practices.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Local manufacturing, recyclable products, carbon offsetting, and manufacturing methods that conserve energy and water all help make the best plastic outdoor furniture for your green yard greener still.
Final Thoughts On Recycled Plastic Furniture
If you love the outdoors and want to be able to enjoy it for many years to come, it’s important to do your part to help preserve it.
One very easy way to do it is to support environmentally friendly brands that are turning trash into treasure and making the world greener.
The best and most eco-friendly way to start your search for recycled and non-toxic furniture of all kinds is at your local or online thrift store or local garage sale.
For new pieces, consider one of these brands. The best recycled plastic patio furniture is durable, safe, and comfortable.
Next time you’re invited by a friend or family member for a BBQ, make sure to share this information.
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