Furnishing your home sustainably is rarely simple — it can be tricky to find the perfect item that matches your style and vision, while also ensuring that this new addition to your home is green-minded — and eco-friendly bookcases are no exception.
But, we’re here to help! Below, we’ve compiled a list of brands that design sustainable shelves and beautiful, eco-friendly bookcases.
What Makes a Bookshelf Sustainable?
When looking for sustainable shelves or bookcases, a great sign is if it’s handcrafted- or made to order. They should also be durable, and built to last a lifetime. Some sustainable furniture brands may even have warranties or lifetime guarantees!
These items will be made from sustainably sourced solid, reclaimed, or salvaged wood. If the piece is made with engineered wood (common in more affordably priced furniture), ensure it’s free from formaldehyde, which is a probable human carcinogen.
If the company sources and manufactures in the US, look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification. Sustainable shelving and bookcases may also feature additional natural, recycled or upcycled materials.
The furniture should be free of VOCs, volatile organic compounds and have natural — or at least non-toxic, low-VOC — finishes. [Learn more about non-toxic furniture.]
Additionally, any company that produces sustainable shelves or bookcases should be using fair labor. Whether they partner with artisans and craftspeople, produce their furniture in-house, or use global manufacturers, look for transparency that they’re paying fair wages and ensuring healthy working conditions.
Where to Find Sustainable Bookcases and Shelving
A great place to start looking is at second-hand or thrift stores! Alternatively you can find gently used pieces on online marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, AptDeco, or Kaiyo. Reusing or repurposing furniture that would otherwise go to waste is always a sustainable option!
If you can’t find something you love second-hand, then the next best choice is to shop from one of the sustainable brands below. Not only do these brands design eco-friendly bookcases and shelves, but they also have a wide selection of home goods to meet all your furnishing needs.
Note that this guide includes affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links which helps us continue to run this website and create resources like these. As always all brands meet strict sustainability criteria and are brands we love — and that we think you’ll love too!
1. Medley
Inspired by their eco-minded parents, Medley was founded by two brothers based in California. Their all-natural, bio-based beeswax finish is even named after their dad. Medley creates sustainable bookcases and other storage furniture from locally sourced, 100% solid wood from FSC-certified forests.
Price: $1,995-$2,895
Materials: Solid Hard White Maple, American Walnut Wood
Conscious Highlights: Custom Made, Locally Made, FSC-Certified, Family Run
2. Greenington
Based out of Washington, Greenington is a furniture company with pieces crafted from sustainably hand-harvested Moso bamboo. Greenington sources mature bamboo for maximum strength and durability. The brand makes sustainable bookshelves and bookcases, as well as a full collection of bamboo furniture.
Price: $132-$5,289
Materials: Moso Bamboo
Conscious Highlights: Zero-waste Production, ISO certified factories, Handcrafted, BIPOC owned
Check out Greenington @ Lumens Light + Living | @ Modern Digs
3. Emeco
Emeco handcrafts their durable, sustainable furniture locally, in Pennsylvania. They use recycled aluminum and responsibly-harvested wood for their sustainable shelves and bookcases and their furniture is free of VOCs and toxic chemicals.
Price: $3,871-$4,883
Materials: Recycled Aluminum, Sustainably Harvested Walnut, Ash, or Acoya
Conscious Highlights: FSC Certified, Cradle to Gold Certified, Vegan
4. Masaya & Co
Masaya & Co has a stunning collection of sustainable shelves and bookcases handcrafted by artisans in Nicaragua. Their shelves are made to order from responsibly-harvested wood and feature a low-VOC finish. Masaya & Co originated as a reforestation project in Nicaragua, and continues to embody that ethos by planting 100 trees for each item they sell.
Price: $1,600-$2,800
Materials: Royal Mahogany, Teak, Rosita Walnut
Conscious Highlights: Handcrafted, Plants Trese, Vegan
5. West Elm Sustainably Sourced Collection
West Elm’s sustainably sourced collection is a great place to find an eco-friendly bookshelf or bookcase. Among this collection, you’ll find furniture that is made from FSC-Certified wood, pieces made in Fair Trade Certified factories, and items with the Greenguard Gold seal.
Price: $90- $2,399
Materials: Solid Wood, Reclaimed Wood
Conscious Highlights: Fair Trade, FSC Certified, Greenguard Gold Certified
6. Crate & Barrel FSC-Certified
Crate & Barrel’s FSC-Certified collection features bookshelves made with materials like solid oak, mahogany wood, teak, and rattan. And you can find a range of styles and finishes in their collection, from natural oak to espresso and driftwood.
It’s worth noting that the company’s bookshelves do contain veneer and engineered wood as well, like most furniture with shelving or drawers. Some products do indicate low-emissions engineered wood.
Price: $799 – $3,200
Materials: FSC-Certified Wood (with some parts made with engineered wood)
Conscious Highlights: Natural Materials, Responsibly Sourced
7. Burrow
Burrow’s modular storage systems — which can be used as bookshelves — are designed to grow with you. Add units to expand your bookshelf or media center storage or separate units to create several pieces of furniture
Price: $299 – $2,189
Materials: Engineered Wood and Steel
Conscious Highlights: Modular and Adaptable, Durable
8. Vermont Woods Studios
Vermont Woods Studios has gorgeous solid wood bookcases sourced from sustainably-managed forests in Vermont. They offer a lifetime guarantee and even allow you to order samples of their wood to ensure you’ll love the final product. They also partner with 1% for the planet to support reforestation of the Amazon Rainforest.
Price: $1206-$9648
Materials: Cherry, Walnut, Maple, and Oak Hardwood
Conscious Highlights: Custom Made, Local Sourcing, Gives Back, Woman-Owned
9. Green Cradle
Green Candle is a family-run company that specializes in solid wood furniture, including wood bookcases and shelves. They craft each eco-friendly bookshelf from trees harvested sustainably and locally and use an all natural flaxseed oil finish free of toxins.
Price: $1,295-$1,395
Materials: 100% Solid Wood
Conscious Highlights: Locally Sourced, Locally Made
More Guides to Browse:
Sustainable Tables and Coffee Tables to Gather Around
12 Non-Toxic Furniture Brands for a Healthy Home
Sustainable Storage Furniture: Dressers, Media Consoles, and More
The post 9 Eco-Friendly Bookcases & Sustainable Shelves to Showcase Your Latest Reads (2024) appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
9 Eco-Friendly Bookcases & Sustainable Shelves to Showcase Your Latest Reads (2024)
Curating a conscious home is a thoughtful process involving much consideration — who made my products, how they were made, and what are they made from — and this guide aims to support you on your journey towards finding ethical and sustainable home decor you truly love.
What is Sustainable Home Decor?
Sustainable home decor includes any home decor that is made in a way that takes into consideration both the makers and the planet. Sustainable home decor will be ethically made using eco-friendly and natural materials. Eco-friendly decor will also be produced using sustainable supply chain practices. This includes using renewable energy and recycled or compostable packaging.
While there are numerous sustainable home decor brands, some of which are featured below, first consider what’s already been made in order to prevent contributing to new waste. Secondhand, used, or DIY home decor options are typically more sustainable than buying new.
What is Ethical and Fair Trade Home Decor?
Ethical and Fair Trade home decor is produced in a way that adheres to Fair Trade standards and is, ideally, Fair Trade Certified. Fair Trade means paying artisans and makers a fair, living wage and providing ethical working conditions. Ethical home decor also includes supporting goods made by artisans using traditional heritage techniques and art forms. Many cultures around the world are at risk of losing their age-old artisanal crafts forever in the age of mass manufacturing.
It’s important to note that sometimes a major brand may use an “eco” fiber while still supporting irresponsible labor practices, and excessive production amounts that inevitably lead to a lot of waste. This is not true sustainability in my mind!
Most artisan-made home decor is ethically produced and directly supports the makers. However, it’s important to check if a brand or marketplace is transparent about their business practices to ensure they are ethical or Fair Trade.
Where Can You Find Sustainable Home Decor?
In terms of environmental sustainability, looking secondhand and vintage is always a great first place to look for sustainable home decor.
But if you’ve scoured those options and haven’t found what you’re looking for and/or if you’re looking to financially support artisans and traditional crafts around the globe, this shopping guide is designed for you. You’ll discover many brands with artfully designed and artisan handmade goods for furnishing any space among this list of decor brands.
All of the brands in this guide use natural and/or recycled fibers and avoid the use of virgin synthetics like polyester; however, some brands do use materials that are not the most environmentally-friendly option on the market, such as conventional cotton.
And of course, I wanted to choose brands that followed slow, thoughtful production practices, prioritizing artisan handmade over factory labor and quality over quantity.
So without further ado, here are my favorite small-batch, artisan-made, and ethical home decor brands.
Note that this guide includes affiliate links — as always, we only curate brands vetted for sustainability that we love (and that we think you’ll love too).
1. Urban Natural
Categories: Accent Pillows, Tabletop, Lighting, Wall Art & Mirrors, Blankets & Throws
Eco-friendly home retailer Urban Natural is on a mission to curate high-quality furniture (and other home goods) built with quality and free of toxic chemicals. Urban Natural carries several sustainable home decor brands, including artisan brands Ethnicraft and Jaipur Living as well as ethically USA-made brands Farmhouse Pottery and East Fork.
2. GOODEE
Categories: Pillows, Lighting, Wall Decor, Planters, Baskets, Blankets, Candles
GOODEE is an ethical marketplace featuring numerous sustainable artisan brands and designers. You’ll find a variety of beautifully crafted home decor goods to suit a wide range of styles. Goodee is a Climate Neutral and B Corp Certified company. They publish an annual impact report so you can easily ensure their business practices align with your values.
Our favorite brands on Goodee are Texidors, Baba Tree, Makaua, and Tensira.
3. Healthier Homes
Categories: Rugs, Lighting, Tabletop, Baskets, Wall Decor & Wallpaper
Founded after years running an award-winning healthy home building firm and publishing a book by the same name (Healthier Homes) this retailer is a go-to online destination for finding non-toxic home goods. The eco-friendly home decor on Healthier Homes is primarily made with natural materials like clay, cotton, seagrass, mango wood, and bamboo,
4. Will & Atlas
Categories: Baskets, Tabletop
Will & Atlas is a women-owned small business making most of their homewares from plant materials like jute, palm leaf, and hogla grass. Their natural fiber baskets are flexile but sturdy built to hold blankets, pillows, laundry, magazines, toys, or just to stand alone as a decor piece. You’ll also find jute coasters and placemats in their tabletop collection.
The brand is committed to ethical practices, partnering with nonprofit fair trade artisan groups in Bangladesh and craftspeople in the U.S. to build long-lasting production relationships.
5. Ten Thousand Villages
Categories: Baskets, Pillows, Throws, Candles, Wall Art, Planters & Vases
Founded 80 years ago, Ten Thousand Villages is the original fair trade store. Throughout the decades, the nonprofit business has continued their commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, as well as sustainability.
As a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization, with artisans around the world from under-resourced communities. Most of the products they carry are made from recycled, upcycled, and natural materials.
6. MagicLinen
Categories: Curtains, Kitchen Linens
Linen is an exceptional material for home decor — there’s a reason we say “kitchen linens!” It’s natural, beautiful, and is often high quality.
I purchased a set of linen curtains from Magic Linen one year ago and they remain one of my favorite home decor pieces. The fabric they use meets the OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100, meaning its been tested for harmful substances.
7. Passion Lilie
Categories: Pillow Covers, Table Linens
Passion Lilie is a fair trade fashion and lifestyle brand with ethically made home decor, too. The Fair Trade Verified brand has handwoven cotton blankets, organic cotton kitchen linens, unique ornaments, and hand-dyed throw pillow covers.
Each piece is made by Passion Lilie’s partners in India who pay living wages and ensure a safe working environment. Beyond this, the brand supports efforts to enable artisans to continually develop their skills and creates opportunities for community development.
8. 54kibo
Categories: Throw Pillows, Wall Hangings & Artwork, Mirrors, Baskets, Rugs, Lighting
A destination for modern African artisanal decor, 54kibo curates a stunning selection of ethically made home decor. The pieces on 54kibo are made with time-honored techniques using locally sourced materials with rich histories. The designs are exceptional, but the stories behind them make the pieces beautiful additions to your home beyond the surface.
9. The Citizenry
Categories: Baskets, Planters & Vases, Tabletop, Wall Decor, Mirrors
The Citizenry partners with artisans around the world, ensuring safe conditions, fair wages, and offering grants to their artisan partners so that they can expand their businesses.
Their online collection features small-batch artisan-made home goods made from locally-sourced and natural materials like palm leaves and indigo dyes.