Is their a market for good quality sustainably designed self assembly furniture.

Yes.

Thanks Laureth. Do you think it would have to be a similar price to existing furniture, or do you think there is enough interest in sustainability now that people would pay a bit more.

Well, if people are putting it together themselves, they will expect to pay less for it – no matter how sustainable or green it is. They feel like they’re doing something that really should be done for them and they want a discount to reflect that.

If you had asked two years ago, I would have said that there’s totally a segment of the population that would pay more for sustainable furniture. People were willing to pay more for eco-friendly food from Whole Foods market, for example, because they had enough money and thought that sustainability was a worthwhile way to use it. In other words, they were high enough on Maslow’s Heirarchy to care more about the greater good, because basic needs like food and shelter were taken care of.

Nowadays, not so much. People are losing jobs or making do with less, and the first things to go are the things that look unnecessary and frivolous. Fewer people buy organic food (and Whole Foods stock is plummeting), and I can’t imagine that sustainably-made furniture would be any different. If it’s a “feel good” but not a necessity, I think it’s a bad time to try to sell it (whatever “it” is) until people are back on their feet again and have money to spare.

Of course, if you are outside the U.S., this might be irrelevant to you.