Sustainability and durability are two powerful forces shaping the modern furniture industry. A recent survey by NielsenIQ found that 78% of consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them, and as consumers grow more eco-conscious, they expect businesses to align with their values. In 2025, furniture companies that prioritize sustainable practices and durable designs will be better positioned to meet this demand and thrive.
This shift isn’t just about meeting ethical expectations—it’s also smart business. Surveys reveal that 76% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for eco-friendly furniture, while McKinsey finds that companies incorporating sustainability practices are twice as likely to generate a 10% increase in revenue as competitors who lag in this area. This presents an opportunity to align environmental goals with customer demand. Coupled with cost-of-living pressures and tighter household budgets, sustainability and durability have become essential drivers of customer loyalty, profitability, and brand reputation.
“In the last two years, the most significant change in how furniture customers make purchase decisions has been the prioritization of sustainability and personalization.”
– Rebecca Lorimer, Creative Director, Coco Wolf
With original insights drawn from Enhance XR’s Trends Report for Furniture Brands, here’s why—and how—sustainability and durability can drive your business forward in 2025.
Download Enhance XR’s free 2025 Furniture Trends Report
Integrate sustainable practices in product design
Sustainability starts at the design stage, placing an emphasis on intentional design. Quality craftsmanship begins with a blueprint, but sustainable brands take it further by leveraging modern digital tools such as 3D and augmented reality (AR) to develop virtual prototypes. This approach eliminates the waste of physical prototyping while perfecting designs. What’s more, AR-powered prototypes and demonstrations enable sales presentations and testing of remote markets without the associated carbon footprint.
Another key approach is designing for disassembly. Products that can be easily taken apart allow customers to repair, replace, or recycle individual components. This not only extends the life of the product but also reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills. Modular designs, discussed in greater depth below, support this strategy by making it simple to swap out worn or outdated parts without replacing the entire piece.
Finally, designing for durability ensures products can withstand long-term use. Robust construction and timeless aesthetics prevent furniture from being discarded prematurely due to wear-and-tear or changing trends. By embedding sustainability and durability into every stage of the production process, brands create products that resonate with environmentally conscious consumers and offer greater value for money at the same time.
“When it comes to our products, our target is for them to be 100% renewable or recyclable.”
– Jesper Brodin, CEO of Ingka Group (IKEA)
Use renewable materials and durable designs
Equally important is bringing sustainability and durability principles to material selection. Eco-conscious consumers increasingly seek products made from renewable or recycled materials. For furniture brands, this means rethinking supply chains and adopting sustainable alternatives, from design to manufacture to shipping.
Sustainable materials increasingly becoming standard across the industry include:
- FSC-certified wood
- Recycled plastics
- Responsibly sourced textiles
This is coupled with an effort to avoid the use of harmful substances, as brands respond to consumer preferences. The result is durable pieces that stand the test of time and stand apart from mass produced furniture.
And durability extends beyond materials—it’s also about engineering and design integrity. Products built for wear-and-tear and supported by extensive warranties demonstrate commitment to quality, instilling trust and encouraging repeat business. Highlighting these attributes in marketing can reinforce your brand’s reputation as a reliable provider of high-quality furniture.
Reduce overproduction
Overproduction contributes to excess inventory, increased waste, and strained resources. As such, reducing overproduction is both an environmental imperative and a strategic move to streamline operations and improve profitability.
One standout example is Scandinavian brand Bolia, which produces each piece on demand rather than pre-manufacturing large quantities. This approach minimizes excess inventory, aligns production closely with consumer demand, and reduces waste. The brand’s commitment to sustainability is further reflected in its 10-year warranties, which emphasize quality and longevity while discouraging disposable consumption.
Technology is playing a vital role in tackling overproduction. Digital tools like 3D and AR visualization enable brands to test market demand before production, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently. And for customers, virtual showrooms and interactive product configurators allow them to explore and customize designs digitally, reducing the need for physical prototypes or mass production of unsold items.
Tylko, a Warsaw-based startup, demonstrates how made-to-order production can transform operations. The company’s 3D configurator tool empowers customers to personalize and customize designs, including dimensions, materials, and colors, with real-time visualization. Pieces are then produced on demand, with proprietary software used to automate the manufacturing process for production partners. This success of this approach has seen Tylko:
- Expand to over 30 markets
- Achieve year-on-year revenue increases
- Maintain a 93% customer satisfaction rate
Offer modular designs
Furniture that adapts to changing needs and withstands the test of time appeals to modern consumers. Modular designs, in particular, offer flexibility while minimizing waste. Customers can replace individual components, such as cushions or covers, without discarding the entire product. This not only extends a product’s lifecycle but also strengthens the brand’s relationship with its customers.
Lithuanian brand Vilmers exemplifies this approach. Responding to growing demand from consumers for personalized products, the company shifted from mass-produced leather furniture to modular fabric sofa systems. Workflows were streamlined to enable the delivery of customized sofas within three to six weeks, while a cloud-based platform enabled optimized cutting-room operations that minimized material waste. Despite the complex challenges involved in changing their business model, Vilmers achieved 25% annual revenue growth.
Digital tools streamline the sale of highly customizable modular designs.
Adopt circular business practices
Mirroring trends in other sectors, the era of fast furniture is coming to an end. Circularity is becoming imperative, with industry leaders like IKEA committing to putting fully renewable or recyclable products on their shelves by 2030. For furniture brands, the focus on sustainability and circularity is a way to build trust and loyalty, with younger customers 27% more likely to purchase from a brand that cares about its impact on people and the planet.
Circularity is redefining how furniture brands operate. By focusing on extending product lifecycles through refurbishment, resale, and recycling initiatives, brands can reduce waste and engage eco-conscious consumers. Programs like Kave Home’s furniture recovery initiative allow customers to return used furniture for refurbishment and resale, fostering loyalty while minimizing landfill contributions.
“This is about taking responsibility for our products beyond their first lifecycle.”
– Kave Home CEO Francesc Julià
The business case for sustainability and durability
Market forces mean that sustainability and durability are more than simple trends, crossing over into business imperatives. Customers expect brands to take responsibility for their environmental impact, and those that fail to do so risk falling behind. By integrating renewable materials, modular and sustainable designs, and circular practices, while adopting techniques to reduce overproduction, you can build a brand that stands out for its values and commitment to quality.
With disposable furniture becoming a thing of the past, forward-thinking brands have an opportunity to lead with purpose and innovation. Durable, adaptable, and sustainable furniture is not only better for the planet but also builds trust and loyalty among increasingly discerning consumers.
Don't just adapt to changing buyer behavior – lead it. Download the free 2025 Furniture Trends Report for strategies and technologies that drive growth. Grab your copy here.
