Argington. Web: Argington.com Argington puts a green spin on

their modern furniture: New York-based designers Andrew

Thornton and Jenny Argie strive to use only solid wood (‘virtually

no MDF, particle board other similar engineered wood products.”)

All Argington’s wood is FSC certified as part of its “sustainable manufacturing”

(glues are low-emission, etc). The brand only has one

crib offering (the two-toned Sahara for $700) with matching dresser

for $800. Argington also offers a limited selection of organic cotton

crib bedding. Early reports on this line are encouraging: quality

is good and the pricing is slightly more reasonable when compared

to the $1000+ modern cribs Argington competes against.

Rating: B+

Organic babyfurniture

What makes nursery furniture green? As with many products, marketed as organic or natural, there isn’t a consensus as to what that means-and that’s true with baby furniture as well.

 

Furniture, by its very nature, isn’t the most green product on earth. A toxic brew of chemicals is used to manufacture and finish most items. Example: most furniture isn‘t made of solid wood but veneers (a strip of wood over particle board). Glue is often used to adhere the veneer on particle board for dresser tops and Sides. Some glues contain formaldehyde-as we discussed earlier on page 24, some baby furniture makers I have been sued by the state of California for unsafe levels of this chemical.

 

For many folks, green means sustainable. So green baby furniture should be made from sustainable wood. But which wood is more eco-friendly? Some say bamboo is the most green. Others say rubber wood (ramin) since the tree it comes from (Para rubber tree) is usually cut down anyway after it is used to produce latex.

 

Given all the confusion, here is our advice for green nursery furniture shoppers: Look for solid wood furniture that is certified. There are a handful of non-profit environmental organizations that certify wood as sustainable: the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is among the best known. FSC-certified crib makers include Argington (reviewed in this chapter).