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Introducing 5 new sustainable fabric groups

At Studio HENK we’re on a mission to create a collection for the future. As an exciting next step in our sustainability journey we’ve recently introduced more sustainable fabrics for our upholstered products. We sat down with Corine, Head of Sustainability at Studio HENK to tell us more about the new fabrics and the values driving this exciting new range as we head towards becoming a zero-waste brand.

 

Can you tell us more about this exciting new fabric introduction?

“We want to reduce our impact on the planet by reusing readily available resources. By expanding our range of fabrics with more sustainable options we can prioritise this focus. Adding more options also gave room to remove some fabrics that had a larger virgin content or footprint. The new fabrics are very promising as they fit well with our ambitious future and zero-waste mission.”

 

Why is this a significant step in Studio HENK’s sustainability journey?

“We believe that the future can be bright, if only we all adjust our way of thinking. The recycling of used fabrics for example takes up less water, land and energy than digging for oil or growing new resources. We try to source our materials consciously, with consideration for the planet and the people living on it. By choosing recycled fabrics we reduce, reuse and recycle waste and rethink the standards of the fabric industry.”

 

Five new fabrics and their unique characteristics:

Kvadrat Re-wool is crafted using 45% recycled wool, reusing scraps from Kvadrat yard spinners. This reduces the waste in Kvadrat’s production, and I think it’s great they managed to partly replace virgin wool with recycled wool. I personally love the richness of wool as well as its water and dirt repellent qualities. It also has an EU Ecolabel, which sets high environmental and quality standards.

Camira Hemp consists of 40% hemp, which is a fast growing and renewable resource, as well as compostable. Hemp is considered one of the most sustainable fibres. The hemp fibre itself is quite rough, so it’s blended with other fibres to create a soft and comfortable material. This fabric also has the EU Ecolabel.

Camira Oceanic is made from 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, including 50% SEAQUAL yarn. SEAQUAL combats marine plastic pollution, which is a problem of unimaginable proportions. Each yard of Oceanic is made from 26 plastic bottles. Choosing this fabric helps fight waste, which fits our Studio HENK mission for a zero-waste furniture industry.

Textaafoam, one of our fabric suppliers, founded a new brand called Fabraa with the sole purpose of putting sustainability high on the agenda. They believe that almost anything is a raw material, even products that are usually considered waste. Their popular Facet (70% recycled post-consumer wool) and Olbia (65% recycled post-industrial cotton) were already part of our collection. They now offer a collection called Woven Bottles, which is made with recycled PET bottles. From this collection we introduce Regain (100% RPET) and Soil (60% RPET, 40%PES). All our Fabraa fabrics are GRS certified. The standard applies to the full supply chain and addresses traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical content and labeling.”

 

How would you describe the quality of the fabrics?

“All fabrics are of prime quality, purposed for heavy duty, and come with a 10-year warranty. So, I think it’s safe to assume they are durable! It is still important that you take care of your upholstered furniture though; vacuum regularly and read the instructions for proper use and care. Each of the fabrics has its own unique touch and feel, so I would really recommend going to see them for yourself in one of our stores to find the type that suits your needs the best.”

 

Are there any exciting next steps in Studio HENK’s sustainability journey that you can already share?

“Always! We’re currently working on understanding our entire environmental footprint so that we can reduce and compensate for it. It’s really exciting to already start reducing the impact of our supply chain in the meantime. These changes can be seen in the packaging, using less material and suppliers switching to green energy for example. We’re also working together with our in-house design team to sharpen our design principles and improve our 2022 collection.”

 

Are you curious to learn more about our range of sustainable fabrics and how you can customise these on your Studio HENK piece? Our Interior Advisors would love to help you out in a free Interior Advice session. They can show you samples, help give colour and styling advice and talk about the pros and cons of each fabric for your living situation. Book a free session to start exploring the options.