“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” It’s an old saying that reminds us how we all end up just as we began, but it also sums up the idealism behind the growing market for biodegradable furniture. Material that decomposes into dust sounds like a nice alternative to recycled furniture. However, as Penelope Green writes in her article Biodegradable Home Product Lines, Ready to Rot, how can we be sure that biodegradable furniture is truly biodegradable?

As Green suggests, many people think that biodegradable furniture magically disappears once it goes into a landfill. But experts warn that the process doesn’t happen right away and that engineered landfills may actually slow down the decomposition process even more. BeHealthyandRelax.com has an interesting list of waste products and how long they take to decompose. Apparently lumber takes 10-15 years to decompose, meaning that if I throw away my desk today, I’ll be having my midlife crisis by the time it completely breaks down.

In the end, the concept of biodegradable furniture could very well turn out to be nothing more than a marketing ploy intended to cash in on the growing market for all things green. I personally think that instead of looking for buzzwords, consumers should search for third party certifications made by esteemed organizations. Because if no one can really define what “biodegradable furniture” means, you probably can’t either.

(Photo via Morguefile)