Ethically Sourced Rattan
By Lita Bondlow
Rattan makes a great sustainable choice for our environment. Why?
For generations rattan has been used extensively all over Southeast Asia to make furniture, baskets, plant containers and even homes. It is a multi faceted natural product with many uses. Rattan is related to the palm tree and grows like a tree only faster. It is one of the strongest woods in the world, with close to 600 types in its family. Ranging in thickness, different varieties are used throughout a product to create different textures and layers.
The use of rattan in furniture helps preserve forests by reducing the need to source wood from trees, preventing deforestation and logging. Rattan is a fast growing vine and only takes a fraction of the time a tree takes to produce the equivalent amount of wood. The harvesting is also more eco-friendly and the sourcing of rattan also helps provide jobs for inhabitants of the areas to help boost and maintain a sustainable economy.
Rattan manufacturing is low tech, not requiring production facilities or machines that pollute the environment. The craftsmanship has been passed on through generations. Rattan can be weaved into many different objects. And the best part is rattan is lightweight and durable.
Last but not least - since it's a natural material, it will eventually biodegrade back to where it came from.
