Environmentally acceptable window coverings

IMAGE CREDIT :: SHUTTER IMAGES COURTESY OF THE WINDOW OUTFITTERS

Lucia van Gerwen from More Than Curtains shows us how technology has created a response to sustainable design in window treatments for your home.

Recycling, sustainability, environmental awareness, and carbon footprint: all these terms have been bandied around in recent years, but how has the Window Furnishing industry responded? This article aims to explore both shutters and fabrics to clearly point you in the right direction when making your selections, so that you can feel confident that you are “doing your bit” for the environment.

Firstly, let’s look at plantation shutters.

Currently shutters are being offered in many materials, and there is undoubtedly huge confusion in the marketplace with conflicting (and often untrue) claims. Each of the materials offered: PVC, Polyresins, Aluminium, Basswood, Cedar, etc., have their good and bad points but since this is about the environmental impact, I will showcase the most suitable materials in this article.

Wood is recyclable, re-usable and biodegradable. I don’t have to explain any of those terms, as they have all become household words in recent times. Similarly, there’s no surprises that timber, being a natural product, fits these three criteria (unlike plastics obviously!) Furthermore, wood requires less energy to produce so this costs less to the environment. What is FSC Certified?

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is a certification for special timbers. These timbers come from renewable conservation practices and are milled in an environmentally sound manner, using the least amount of energy and waste possible. Added benefits include:

• Protection of waterways • Protection of native species of flora & fauna • Preservation of forests • Reduction is pesticides • Increased safety of workers • Increased respect of native communities

So when you plan to choose shutters for your windows, think carefully about the impact they may have on the environment and choose responsibly. Not all timbers fit into this category, so do your research or speak to an expert (NOT just a shutter salesperson). Also remember that cheaper is not better when it comes to shutters… you may pay more for your purchase, but you will be reducing the cost to the environment; which is money well spent on our planet’s future.

What’s new for sustainable fabrics?

We all know about pure fibres such as cotton, silk, linen and hemps. They have been around since ancient times and are still in hot demand in window furnishings. However, there’s a new kid in town that you may not have heard of.

Encore is a totally new fibre recently released by Warwick Fabrics that is made from recyclable PET bottles – yes – those weird bottom plastic bottles! Although not really suitable for window coverings (although I would suggest pelmets and roman blinds would be great), these fabrics are for high performance upholstery. This is the new generation in textiles, totally Australian made, and tested to the highest performance standards. Each metre of fabric contains no less than four plastic PET bottles. What a way for your Coke bottle to end up!

The fabrics are colourfast, inherently stain resistant, abrasion resistant up to 70,000 rubs and free of the toxin formaldehyde. They are also resistant to pilling, mould mildew, silverfish and moths – I would love my clothes to be made out of this stuff. Virtually indestructible!

Lucia van Gerwen www.morethancurtains.com.au