Kinnell & Posch only uses timber and natural rattan fibre in its outdoor furniture design and manufacturing for a few key reasons.
Their aesthetic elements not only look great when they are delivered to our customers, but they also weather beautifully over time.
Trees act as carbon sumps, and as a result, timber and rattan have a carbon neutral footprint. Further to this, we source our raw materials from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified Indonesian government plantations which are sustainable, renewable resources.
Also of note, timber and natural rattan have low thermal conductivity capability which provides a feeling of warmth.
A good way to quantify why we only use natural resources is through looking at the environmental impact of manufacturing when using timber versus concrete, aluminium and plastic.
Concrete
Cement is responsible for around 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. It's a massive contributor. Making 1m3 of concrete produces 0.45 tonne of CO2. Conversely, 1m3 of timber absorbs 1.0 tonne of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere. This equates to a net gain of 1.45 tonnes of CO2 when choosing timber over concrete.
Plastic / faux wicker
Producing 1m3 of PVC, the material faux wicker outdoor furniture is made from, has a massive carbon footprint of 5 tonnes of CO2. This equates to a net gain of 6 tonnes of CO2 when choosing timber over PVC.
Aluminium
Making 1m3 of aluminium produces around 1.85 tonnes of CO2. This equates to a net gain of 2.85 tonnes of CO2 when choosing timber over aluminium.
Aluminium smelters in New Zealand actually use 13% of New Zealand’s total electricity which is an enormous figure. The situation is similar in Australia.
Thermal conductivity
Both concrete and aluminium have much higher thermal conductivity capability than timber making them hotter to touch in the warmer months and colder to touch in the cooler months. For this reason, timber is a much more ergonomic material to use in outdoor furniture design and manufacturing due to its feeling of warmth.
Summary
By using natural, renewable materials in Kinnell & Posch furniture we are taking a great step towards addressing some of the pressing climate issues the world is currently facing. Not only that, the furniture looks great and feels great all year round.