Critics have targeted IKEA for years on issues ranging from its amorphous profit and non-profit corporate (and tax) structure, its questionable sourcing of wood for its product line, and even the background of its founder, Ingvar Kamprad. A debate over IKEA’s business practices and environmental impact raises passions on both sides. In fairness, the company has made some solid environmental choices: they’ve eliminated plastic bags from its check-out aisles, eliminated polyvinylchloride (PVC) from almost all of its products, and reduced packaging overall. Now the’ve announced another solid move: the company is phasing out a toxic flame retardant from its furniture.The flame retardant problems is a difficult one for IKEA to solve. Despite the fact that flame retardants contain a skin-absorbable carcinogenic, manufacturers who wish to sell in California must include them in order to comply with state laws. Interestingly, IKEA’s announcement comes just one day after a scathing article in Slate Magazine that questions why furniture contains such high levels of these chemicals in the first place.
The trouble started when Slate reporter Florence Williams tore the packaging of a new IKEA futon that she ordered online, only to be bowled over by the noxious smell that permeated her basement. Williams started researching the smell and found out that the substance was chlorinated tris, the dreaded carcinogen that was once in children’s pajamas until studies shown that it could be absorbed by skin.Despite this danger to human health the American chemical industry has lobbied Congress and state legislatures to mandate fireproofing of furniture and other consumer products for years. The results are long lasting, and not in a good way: years after some carcinogens were banned, they still persist in the food chain and in may even cause chronic disease. (As this went to press, we cannot confirm or deny that any chemical residue can be found in the famous Swedish meatballs that IKEA serves in its brightly lit cafeterias.)The upshot is that when Williams contacted IKEA, the company’s representatives explained that chlorinated tris will be phased by August 2010.
The replacement: “an organo-phosphorous compound which gets incorporated into the polymer matrix of the foam filling.” If you think that term is difficult to decipher, then imagine how safe that replacement may be.IKEA is boxed in by regulations that lawmakers may have been passed with good intentions, but of course are backed by industries who benefit from such a mandate—which is especially absurd because those fire retardants do not stop fire, they delay it—by a few minutes. It is easy to slam big box stores on issues like this one, but IKEA has been taking additional steps in helping their customers achieve energy efficiency and a smaller environmental impact, including last week’s announcement that the retailer will no longer sell incandescent bulbs—which practically eliminates one of its product lines, those sleek lamps that are in many a living room and office.So what is the solution? An old-fashioned letter-writing (or email-sending) campaign may just need to start.
If we cannot find a solution to replace a chemical which does more harm than good, maybe laws passed over 30 years ago need to be repealed. Remember that the BP crisis has an effect far beyond the environment and energy needs: so many of the chemicals that are in homes come from petroleum, giving us another reason to rethink our dependence on oil.Eames molded chairs are a timeless classic that’s experiencing a full-out renaissance. Find me one respectable startup that doesn’t have them surrounding the perimeter of a walnut conference table. But at $300 and up, it’s hard to resist the temptation of a shoddy, outsourced knockoff. Now, Ikea—the king of cheap furniture—is offering a line of chairs that are clearly deeply inspired Eames and the other mid-century chair design gods. In fact, when you really deconstruct the new line, it’s like a Frankenstein collection of greatest hits, from the curvy seat of the Eames molded chair, to the legs and connective tissue of the Jasper Morrison Hal Tube (which was actually made in 2012), to the high arms of the Vico Magistretti Maui chair, to the cello back of the Arne Jacobson Ant Leg chair (technically 2005)
, to the wood veneer of Jacobson's Series 7 chair. Ikea is offering the options to mix and match these pieces to create your own hybrid, starting at a mere $34 and peaking out at $60. Of course, a lot has been lost in translation. While all of the original designs were also the products of mass manufacture, Ikea’s chairs simply look cheap. None has the almost impossible to define visual harmony at play in the original specimens. It’s as if you can see the literal corners that have been cut to shave fractions of pennies off the build to make a few extra bucks at scale. But maybe the worse sting is that dorm rooms everywhere will soon approach the same design sensibility as your carefully manicured apartment. Never miss a story. I'd also like to receive special Fast Company offersMOST READ NEWS Previous Next ● ● ● ● > Living room furniture > Armchairs and chairs 1 - 50 of 257 items Buy Hoover DXCC49B3 9KG 1400 Spin Washing Machine-
Buy Servis L510W 5KG 1000 Spin Washing Machine When buying new furniture for your home, armchairs are a great way to add a bit of style to a room. We have cuddle chairs for those cosy nights in with a loved one, or tub chairs for when you want to curl up and relax with a book. Whether you're interested in recliner chairs or a footstool to match, our huge range of chairs and armchairs will mean you can find something with the perfect set up for your home. Our range of rocking chairs are perfect for getting back from a long day, putting your feet up on a footstool and relaxing in front of the TV. Take a look at our great selection of TVs from 40 inch TV's to 3D TVs with built in digital aerial. We are sure to have something for you. If you're looking to buy a full living room set then many of our armchairs are available with coordinating corner sofas so you don't have to compromise on one or the other. We even have sofa beds in a variety of different styles and colours to match our range of chairs.