Sustainability and manufacturing
Wood is renewable, reusable and bio- degradable. Svenskt Tenn has worked with wood since the 1930s and the material is also one of the most dominant in the company’s production today. But for wood to be a really good material from an environmental point of view, it should come from responsibly managed forests.
All of Svenskt Tenn’s furniture suppliers and their wood suppliers are subject to the EU’s Timber Regulation, which has strict rules for the wood trade. This is to deal with the global problem of illegal logging and to counter trafficking in illegal timber and wooden goods within the EU.
This is how Chair 930 is made
Producing Svenskt Tenn’s upholstered furniture is a time-consuming process that requires great craftsmanship. A team of exceptional furniture makers, seamstresses and upholsterers lies behind the production, led by the fourth generation of the Sjögren family.
When producing upholstered furniture, it is the furniture maker who is responsible for the first stage, namely the furniture’s timber frame. This can comprise up to 50 different wooden parts and each part is sawed and put together by hand. The frame is based on solid Swedish pine that is purchased from local suppliers.
The framework of the chair begins with the fitting of springs and nozag feathers. The seat has an innerspring resting on nozag feathers, and the back contains just nozag feathers, which are specially adapted to the model. When that step is completed, the soft upholstery sections are applied. The components are built up in different layers for maximum comfort. The furniture details are designed by hand, which gives the chair its final form.
The fabric that will be used to cover the chair is then rolled out on a cutting board and cut according to templates. A patterned fabric requires more material since both buttons and the joining edges must match as much as possible. The cut-out parts are then sewn together to fit the chair and the varying characteristics of the fabrics require different seam allowances and sewing techniques. Finally, the chair is upholstered with the selected fabric.
Sustainability in focus
Read more about Svenskt Tenn's Sustainability Philosophy below.