Put your feet up and relax with the eco-friendly and non-toxic ottomans, benches, and poufs from these incredible sustainable furniture brands.
What Is A Sustainable Ottoman (or Bench)?
There are a lot of considerations that go into making sustainable furniture. Some brands may meet more of these criteria than others, and some criteria may be more or less important to you.
You might also engage with sustainability differently depending on your lifestyle, budget, aesthetic preferences, among other factors. But here’s a general idea of what to look for:
Look Secondhand
Used ottomans and benches are going to the most sustainable option since these furniture pieces have already been produced! Plus you’re preventing that furniture from heading to a landfill. You could browse an app like OfferUp or check your local Facebook Marketplace.
You can also check secondhand furniture sites like:
Shopping for new sustainably-made ottomans and benches? Check out the following tips:
Eco-Conscious & Durable Materials
With the rise of fast furniture, the quality (and the sustainability) of materials used in furniture has declined.
A sustainable ottoman (or sustainable bench) would be made durably so it lasts and would be constructed from responsibly sourced materials such as FSC-Certified and/or locally sustainably-harvested wood, recycled fabrics and organic natural fabrics for the upholstery, and non-toxic — ideally zero VOC — finishes. This guide has more non-toxic furniture brands.
Responsibly Made
Look into where the brand is producing their ottomans, benches, and/or poufs. Is it in their own workshop or a nearby production facility? Is it in a fair trade artisan workshop? A brand should have full transparency and traceability of their supply chain.
They also should ensure workers are earning living wages and work in safe environments. (One great way to check for this is to look at the materials and finishes used, making sure they’re non-toxic.)
Circular Practices
The EPA estimates that 12 million tons of furniture are thrown out annually. Yikes. A brand selling sustainable benches and ottomans would ideally consider the following:
- Quality construction so the furniture lasts a lifetime (or several)! If you’re moving a lot, it’s also worth considering how easy that piece of furniture is to move around and deconstruct/reconstruct if necessary.
- Repairability. Is that material repairable? Does that brand have replacement parts? Is it a material that could be refinished easily?
- Secondhand program or resellability. It would be incredible if the brand had a resale program for their furniture. Not many brands do, though. So you might also just think about if the style and quality of the piece would make it easy to sell again if you do think you might outgrow it.
Where to Find Sustainable Ottomans and Benches
Phew, that was a lot! But don’t worry: we’ve done the hard work of sifting through brands to curate the best options available right now. Check ’em out!
Note that this guide includes affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase which helps us continue to run this site. We only feature brands that meet strict standards for sustainability we love, and that we think you’ll love too.
1. Urban Natural
This sustainable furniture and home retailer has a beautiful selection of functional ottomans, cozy poufs, and elegant benches.
Among their selection are reclaimed teak benches from Ethnicraft and organic ottomans made with all-natural materials from Cisco Home (select “Inside Green”). You’ll likely be able to find whatever you’re looking for on Urban Natural, from an ottoman with storage to a swivel pouf.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-Minded Materials,
Price Range: $369 – $4897
Ships to: Contiguous US; contact for overseas shipping
2. Maiden Home
This woman-owned direct-to-consumer furniture brand has some seriously gorgeous sustainable ottomans. Maiden Home’s modern furniture is made in North Carolina using natural materials like solid ash wood and stonewashed linen. Many reviewers compliment the design, quality, and value of their ottomans and benches from the brand.
Conscious Qualities: High Quality, Handcrafted in US, Green Manufacturing Practices
Price Range: $500 – $1775
Ships to: Contiguous US States
2. Masaya & Co
Originally founded as a reforestation project, this sustainable furniture company is seriously committed to responsibly-made furniture, planting 100 trees with every order.
Masaya & Co has a wide range of ottomans and benches handcrafted by skilled artisans Nicaragua from solid sustainably-sourced hardwood. Most pieces are suitable for outdoor use as well.
Conscious Qualities: Responsibly-Sourced Wood, Reforestation Projects, Artisan Handmade to Order
Price Range: $260 – $1,100
Ships To: US States & Territories
4. Savvy Rest
Savvy Rest has a non-toxic ottoman made from solid maple hardwood, GOTS-certified organic cotton and/or hemp upholstery, and Cradle to Cradle GOLD-certified Talalay latex. The brand also has a sustainable bench crafted by skilled woodworkers in Charlottesville, Virginia from sustainably-sourced maple. All of their furniture is available unfinished or with zero-VOC finishes.
Conscious Qualities: Non-Toxic, Organic & Natural Materials, Built In Virginia
Price Range: $699-$999
Ships: Internationally (White Glove Delivery available for US + Canada only)
Use code CONSCIOUSSTYLE20 for 20% off!
5. The Citizenry
This fair trade artisan home goods store also has furniture, like their ethically made ottomans and benches. Each piece is handcrafted from natural materials like cotton, wicker, and solid wood in a fair trade process that’s guaranteed by the World Fair Trade Organization. You can learn more about the artisan workshop that made each ottoman or bench in the product details on The Citizenry’s site.
Conscious Qualities: Fair Trade, Artisan-Made, Natural Materials
Price Range: $295 – $650
Ships To: All US States + Canada
6. Medley
Medley has sustainable poufs, ottomans (including storage ottomans!), and benches handcrafted in California and Oregon to the highest quality standards. To back up their claims, they offer industry-leading warranties on their furniture. Their benches and ottomans are made from domestically-sourced FSC-certified Alder hardwood and eco-friendly fabrics (including GREENGUARD certified fabrics and natural fabrics like cotton and linen; check details on your fabric selection here).
Conscious Qualities: US-Made, Quality Warranty, Many Certified Eco Materials
Price Range: $376 – $1595
Ships: Internationally (contact them if your location is not an option when checking out)
7. Sabai
Sabai’s made-to-order sustainable seating and ottoman considers not only the production practices (like using recycled fabrics, FSC-certified wood, and CertiPUR-US certified foam) but also its use and end-of-life. The company offers replacement parts and has a buy back & resale program.
Conscious Qualities: Recycled & Natural Materials, Secondhand & Repair Program
Price Range: $395
Ships To: All US States + Canada
8. VivaTerra
Green lifestyle retailer VivaTerra has options for every part of your space: they carry poufs, indoor/outdoor benches, garden stools & garden benches, storage benches, and accent stools. You’ll find benches and stools made from reclaimed wood, acacia wood and teak, among many other natural and repurposed materials.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-Conscious Materials, Artisan-Made
Price Range: $159 – $1600
Ships To: US States & Territories
9. Natural Home
Natural Home by Futon Shop has non-toxic ottomans made from 100% natural materials. Their NBJ modular ottomans are crafted with natural Dunlop latex, coconut coir base, and wool upholstery. They also have a vegan ottoman made with potato-based PLA fiber. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can upgrade to organic latex fill for your custom ottoman.
Conscious Qualities: Non-Toxic, Natural & Organic Materials, Woman-Founded, Gives Back
Price Range: $630+
Ships To: Contiguous US States
10. Loll Designs
Loll Designs creates outdoor furniture (including an outdoor ottoman) from partially recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) — mostly from milk jugs – and the upholstery is made from Sunbrella acrylic, a long-lasting performance fabric. All of Loll’s materials are purchased within the US and the furniture is produced in Duluth, Minnesota.
Conscious Qualities: Recycled Materials, Made in the US
Price: $895
Ships: US & Internationally through Made Trade
11. Emeco
Handcrafted in Pennsylvania from recycled aluminum and responsibly-harvested Accoya wood, Emeco’s eco-friendly benches are built to last. In fact, every product passes commercial grade standards — so you know it’s durable. Emeco’s benches are also Cradle to Cradle Gold certified and are free of VOCs.
Conscious Qualities: Recycled & Sustainably Sourced Materials, Durable, Made in the US
Price Range: $1,610 – $1,675
Ships to: US & Internationally through Made Trade
More Sustainable Furniture Guides:
Sustainable & Non-Toxic Sofas To Relax In
Eco-Friendly Chairs To Take A Sustainable Seat In
Gorgeous Sustainable Tables To Gather Around
The post 11 Best Sustainable Ottomans, Poufs, and Benches appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
Green Living
Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions
Subscribe to receive transcripts by email. Read along with this episode.
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Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on December 22, 2025.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Okhtapus Cofounder Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Accelerates Ocean Solutions appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/sustainability-in-your-ear-okhtapus-cofounder-stewart-sarkozy-banoczy-accelerates-ocean-solutions/
Today’s quote comes from Pope John Paul II’s message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, 1990. He wrote, “Modern society will find no solution to the ecological problem unless it takes a serious look at its lifestyle.”
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: A Serious Look at Modern Lifestyle appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-take-serious-look-lifestyle/
Green Living
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The built environment, particularly office buildings other urban facilities, are responsible for 39% of the global energy-related emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. About a third of that impact comes from the initial construction of a building and the other two-thirds is produced over the lifetime of a building by heating, cooling, and providing power to the occupants. Our guest today is leading a key battle to reduce the impact of the built environment. Tune in for a wide-ranging conversation with Rob Bernard, Chief Sustainability Officer at CBRE Group Inc., which manages more than $145 billion of commercial buildings, providing logistics, retail, and corporate office services across more than than 100 countries.
Rob cut his sustainability teeth at Microsoft, as its Chief Environmental Strategist for 11 years, as the company was developing its world-leading approach and collaborating with other tech giants to lobby for policy and funding to accelerate progress. He discusses CBRE’s Sustainability Solutions & Services for commercial building owners, as well as the accelerating progress for renewables, carbon tracking, and economic, health, and lifestyle benefits of living lightly on the planet. You can learn more about CBRE and its sustainability services at cbre.com
Take a few minutes to learn more about making construction and building operations more sustainable:
- Earth911 Podcast: Cityzenith’s Michael Jansen Uses Digital Twins to Reinvent Urban Planning
- Earth911 Podcast: Concrete.ai CEO Alex Hall On Mixing Embodied Carbon Out Of the Built Environment
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: Lowering Construction Impacts With Green Badger’s Tommy Linstroth
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: William Ulrich on Learning From Y2K To Design the Circular Economy
- Best of Earth911 Podcast: Autodesk Spacemaker Aides Building Efficiency With AI Insights
- How to Assess Your Business’ Environmental and Social Impacts
- Passive House Design: Changing the Future of New Home Construction
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube.
Editor’s Note: This podcast originally aired on April 15, 2024.
The post Best of Sustainability In Your Ear: Making Billions of Square Feet of Commercial Space Sustainable with CBRE’s Rob Bernard appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-making-billions-of-square-feet-of-commercial-space-sustainable-with-cbres-rob-bernard/
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