Your Sustainable Furniture Maker

Hardman Design - Placing Sustainable Furniture At The Heart Of What We Do

Handcrafting sustainable furniture is important to us. This is why we are 100% carbon neutral, placing eco-friendly manufacturing at the heart of what we do.

We track all energy, material and use of fossil fuels across our whole production and supply chains and offset this through carbon-capturing methods, such as tree planting to sequester carbon and build a healthier world.

Combining carbon offsetting with our eco-friendly design processes ensures that a purchase from Hardman Design is completely carbon neutral - from start to finish; from you choosing your collection piece, through to us handpicking the locally-sourced materials, manufacturing the furniture in-house, and delivering it to you.  

How Are We Building Sustainable Furniture?

Our drive to a more sustainable world is wide ranging, from using specially-selected FSC-certified wood, to tree planting and building high-quality, long-lasting furniture to last generations and minimise waste.

1: Plant-for-the-Planet 

Tree planting is one of the most powerful climate change mitigators, with long and short-term environmental benefits. This includes absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere, creating wildlife habitats, reducing city temperatures, and keeping soil nutrient-rich. In fact, the entire woodland ecosystem can play a huge role in swallowing carbon. For instance, a young wood with mixed native species can look up more than 400+ tonnes of carbon per hectare!

This is why we have partnered with Plant-for-the-Planet; an organisation which works around the world to plant trees as a practical and vital intervention to combat the rise in global temperatures and reduce the effect of climate change. We have already donated hundreds of trees to the Plant-for-the-Planet and we are working with them to compensate our greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 equivalents). 

The Plant-for-the-Planet children and youth initiative was launched in January 2007. The current goal is to plant a trillion trees worldwide. In 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) handed over the long-established
Billion Tree Campaign, along with the official world tree counter, to Plant-for-the-Planet. As the children’s aim is now to plant a trillion trees, they transformed the Billion Tree Campaign into the Trillion Tree Campaign. So far, the initiative has helped to plan more than 13 billion trees. Hardman Design is delighted to be playing a part in this campaign.   

2: Using Locally-sourced 100% FSC Certified Wood

Our wood is 100% FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. This means that we, as a manufacturer, and the wood used in our products, meet FSC requirements. This is important, as FSC certification is considered the ‘gold standard’ designation for wood harvested from forests that are responsibly managed, socially beneficial, environmentally conscious, and economically viable.

When it comes to selecting our natural materials, we specifically pick local and sustainably-sourced independent suppliers. Not only does it ensure a high-quality finish, but it lowers transportation emissions and helps us identify exactly where the material has come from.

Our hand-picked woods are then milled and dried in-house to promote self-sufficiency and ensure that the production process is as efficient and productive as possible to reduce waste and conserve energy. 

3: Reducing Waste

We’re advocates of longevity. That’s why we build our products to last a lifetime, marrying high-quality materials - such as oak and European walnut - with expert design techniques. Throw-away culture is not in our DNA, so we craft furniture which lasts for decades, increasing the lifespan of our pieces by being passed through generations and becoming family heirlooms. In turn, this avoids premature disposal and waste, and helps to reduce the burden on landfill.

4: Environmentally-friendly Finishes

We’ve long been fans of the Osmo range, enhancing all our collection pieces with these premium finishes. Not only are the Osmo finishes high-quality, they are also environmentally friendly; made from carefully harvested natural oils and waxes. Like us, Osmo supports sustainable forestry and has taken on the high standard of FSC-certification for certain products.

Osmo has also worked to develop products which are completely free from solvents. Due to the low amounts of solvents used in their products, the Osmo production facility has not been bound by the German emissions law since 1998. In addition, technical systems are encapsulated to ensure that very little emissions can enter the atmosphere. 

5: Recycled Packaging

As part of our environmental pledge, we ensure that we recycle and reuse all packaging in-house. For instance, after we deliver a piece of furniture, we take the packaging back with us to the workshop and reuse it. 

Why Have We Adopted A Carbon Neutral Approach?

From our customer service to the quality of our furniture, we pride ourselves on being a responsible furniture maker. Adding sustainability to our core values is integral to this ethos.We care about our planet. We value the importance of resource efficiency. We recognise how crucial it is to mitigate the effects of climate change. So adopting a carbon-neutral approach was a natural process.

For us, it is about striking the right balance; being true to our craft, all while protecting the planet’s natural resources and playing our part to support carbon offsetting. After all, we believe that sustainability can be synonymous with high-quality design. And it is encouraging to see that this approach mirrors changing consumer expectations, meeting a growing demand from customers to purchase sustainable furniture and embrace eco-friendly design principles.

Liam Hardman, Hardman Design founder, said: “Safeguarding our natural world truly matters to us; this is why we are 100% carbon neutral and have embraced an environmentally-friendly mantra. We want to enhance our reputation as a responsible manufacturer of quality handcrafted furniture, so we have placed carbon-neutrality at the heart of our values.

“We have already established a solid foundation of eco-friendly practises, but we will build on this platform to drive and promote sustainability through all aspects of the business. We are committed to minimising our environmental impact; setting clear goals and continually assessing and reviewing our working practises to help build a better tomorrow and create a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Talk To Us About Our Carbon Neutral Plan

We’re committed to building sustainable furniture, adopting environmentally-friendly design principles and continuing our carbon offsetting practises. But we won’t rest on our laurels and will strive to bolster our green strategy to help our planet in every way we can. If you would like to find out more about our carbon neutral efforts, please speak to a member of our team. Visit our contact page for more details.