Fast furniture: The shocking truth and how we fix it

EDINBURGH, Scotland - Feb. 7, 2021 - PRLog -- 'Fast furniture' may not be a term familiar to everyone, but its environmental, social and health impact is being felt by us all.

In this article I explain what fast furniture is, examine the negative consequences of this worrying trend, and consider viable alternatives.

What is fast furniture?

The term 'fast food' first appeared in our dictionaries in the early 1950s, largely in recognition of the dramatic growth in drive-through restaurants in the US.

Since then the phrase has taken on more and more negative connotations as the damaging environmental, social and health aspects of fast food have become clear.

In the early 1990s the expression 'fast fashion' was coined by the New York Times to describe the retailer Zara's business model of taking only 15 days to design, manufacture and sell its clothing ranges.

Once again, it quickly became associated with damaging effects on society and the planet.

Much more recently, the term 'fast' has been applied to the furniture industry to describe the quick and cheap production of home furnishings.

Ikea's Billy bookcase – a flat-packed, minimalist, plastic-coated chipboard construction – is often held up as the classic example of fast furniture.

It is said that a Billy bookcase is made every three seconds. Indeed, Ikea boasts (https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/billy-bookcase-white-00263850/) on its own website that one is sold every five seconds.

Now that is fast furniture.

The Billy bookcase has been around since 1979. What is new, however, is the growing seasonality of the mass manufactured furniture industry.

The impact of fast furniture on us & our environment

The benefits of fast furniture to us, the consumer, are clear: low prices, easy availability and access to the latest styles.

But what environmental, social and health issues does fast furniture create?

Read the full article here -https://www.glencairnfurniture.co.uk/blog/fast-furniture-...