Fair trade furniture Furniture is big business Today many companies are starting to look at how furniture can be made in a way that is fair to workers and safe for the environment Why buy fair trade Around the world many problems are caused through furniture production Workers are often poorly paid and endure poor working conditions such as health and safety dangers from the chemicals they use in glue or paint The World Fair Trade Organization WFTO is an international group that believes in fair trade practices Companies who belong to the WFTO pay their workers fairly help to care for local communities and make sure that nothing they do damages wildlife or the environment The Fair Trade Furniture Company is a member of the WFTO Its furniture is made in Indonesia using natural materials The company’s workers are paid a fair wage and have health and education programs 4
What is best to buy When buying new furniture it is important to know what it is made of and where it has come from This is known as the supply chain When your family is buying a new item of furniture look carefully at any labels or logos Does it have a WFTO label or a Forest Stewardship Council FSC logo The FSC is an American company that makes sure trees used to make furniture have come from forests that are well-managed and sustainable see page 20 What can I do This book will explain how fair trade programs help workers to make a decent living improve working conditions and protect the environment and wildlife It will give you ideas about what you can do to help when choosing furniture with your family and how to recycle old or unwanted furniture The FSC protects the world’s forests as well as local communities and wildlife This map shows the places mentioned in the book that are involved in fair trade projects Canada USA Mexico Africa Senegal Brazil Ghana China India Nepal Indonesia Pakistan Thailand Argentina 5
Beds and mattresses The first mattresses were made of straw leaves and even animal skins Today mattresses contain many different parts How are mattresses made Mattresses with springs started being made in the mid-1700s Today the inside of a spring mattress has anywhere from 250 to 1,000 connecting springs and at least five layers of cushioning around them Some parts of the mattress are made by hand The quilted fabric cover is stitched using a giant quilting machine then cut to the correct size and added to the mattress The quilted padding that covers the top bottom and sides of most mattresses is made by machines in factories 6
Where are beds and mattresses made Beds and mattresses are manufactured all over the world with China and the United States being the main producers China and Poland export more mattresses than any other countries The Sealy Mattress Company is the world’s largest manufacturer of beds and mattresses The main company is based in Ohio but it is represented in many other countries including Canada Saudi Arabia Japan Australia and Argentina Most bed and mattress companies get their materials from all around the world For example the Turkish company Boycelik manufactures mattress springs made from carbon steel wire which comes from Europe and Turkey The company exports its finished springs to 65 countries around the world Reuse recycle Today 90 percent of beds and mattresses can be recycled Metal from the mattress springs can be melted down and reused Wooden bed frames can be broken up and used for garden mulch Paper plastic and fabrics can be used for building insulation Getting rid of old mattresses can be a problem Millions used to end up in garbage dumps Some mattresses have springs inside to help give them cushioned support and bounce 7
