In Europe alone, more than 11 billion kilos of furniture are thrown away every year. About 80-90% is burned or ends up in landfill. Only 10% of this is recycled. Bulky household waste is the only waste stream that has not declined in recent years but rather increased. This is not only very harmful to the environment, but also a waste of the valuable raw materials. This must and can be done differently! With the ‘Slow down fast furniture’ campaign, The Substitute wants to draw attention to this problem and give consumers more knowledge and insight so that they can make more conscious choices.

Slow down, use SUB

Fast furniture is still a huge blind spot. People are starting to think more about the impact of clothing and food, but if your closet is broken, you throw it away and drive to Ikea for a new one. In the Netherlands, this results in approximately 250,000,000 kilos of interior waste yearly, of which less than 10% is recycled.

85% of people don’t think about sustainability when buying things for or renovating their house. Simply because the knowledge is lacking. What should you ask? What should you pay attention to? The Substitute doesn’t only want to draw attention to the problem but also developed a tool that indicates the most logical and sustainable route for furnishing your home; the Save, Use, Buy (SUB) method.

Sustainable living starts at The Substitute

The Substitute is a platform of sustainable brands and professionals in the field of interior design and renovation. The platform offers consumers overview, inspiration & knowledge in the area of sustainable living so that they can easily make sustainable choices.