Furniture and decoration: wood also has a democratic origin (or not)

Furniture seems like a simple product: wood, metal and fabric. But the supply chain of a sofa or a chair can cross five countries on three continents, with wood from forests whose management varies radically depending on the political regime that controls them.

In this article we analyse the most commonly used woods in furniture and their democratic provenance, the main brands on the European market and the certifications that have real value for democratic origin analysis.

IKEA: Swedish on the label, global in the chain

IKEA Group originates in Sweden (EIU 9.26, full democracy). But the company sources wood from Russia (EIU 2.22) and Belarus (EIU 2.49) — two of the most authoritarian countries in Europe — through its forest subsidiary Ingka Group. Until 2022, IKEA was one of the world's largest buyers of Russian timber.

After the invasion of Ukraine, IKEA announced the suspension of purchases from Russia and Belarus. However, stocks of previously acquired wood remained in the production chain for months, and reorienting suppliers towards alternatives in Central and Eastern Europe (Poland EIU 7.98, Czech Republic 7.68, Slovakia 7.35) is a process that takes years.

Tropical wood: the problem of teak and rosewood

Teak (Tectona grandis) is the most widely used outdoor wood in garden furniture for its natural durability. The main producing countries are Myanmar (EIU 1.93, military regime), Indonesia (EIU 6.30, at the threshold) and Costa Rica (EIU 8.00, full democracy with certified plantations).

Myanmar was suspended from the EU's GSP+ preferential access system in 2020 following the military coup, but wood can enter through third countries. FSC certification for Burmese teak has been virtually non-existent since the 2021 coup. Teak with FSC certification from Costa Rica, India (EIU 7.18) or European plantations in Portugal (EIU 7.94) is the democratically sound alternative.

Rosewood is another high-risk wood: it is extracted mainly in India (EIU 7.18, acceptable), Brazil (EIU 6.94, acceptable), Madagascar (EIU 4.17, below threshold) and China (EIU 2.12). Rosewood is listed in CITES Appendix II — its trade requires an export certificate — but illegal trafficking is significant, especially from Madagascar.

Fritz Hansen, e15, Vitra: the 100% European alternative

Fritz Hansen (Allerød, Denmark, EIU 9.28) is Europe's most iconic design chair manufacturer. Its 3107 chair (the chair in the photograph of John Lennon with Yoko Ono) and the Arne Jacobsen Series 7 are manufactured entirely in Denmark, with oak and ash wood from PEFC-certified European forests.

e15 (Frankfurt, Germany, EIU 8.58) produces European oak and steel furniture manufactured in German and Swiss workshops. Vitra (Birsfelden, Switzerland/Germany border) has its main production centres on the VitraHaus campus in Weil am Rhein (Germany) and works with Scandinavian suppliers for fine woods. All three brands have verifiably European and democratic supply chains.

The certifications that matter

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) are the two benchmark forest certifications. Both verify sustainable forest management, but neither verifies the democratic index of the country. They are necessary but not sufficient conditions for a complete democratic analysis.

For a democratic analysis of furniture: the country of manufacture of the piece (not just the design) and the origin of the main wood are the two key data points. A chair 'designed in Denmark' but manufactured in China with Burmese timber has the opposite democratic profile to a chair manufactured in Denmark with Danish oak.

The furniture industry has a more favourable democratic vector than electronics because a substantial part of production for the European market takes place in democratic Europe. The most critical point is tropical woods — especially teak and rosewood — where the country of origin matters more than the certification.