What does sustainable mean?

In Sweden's constitution, it is written since 2003: "The public should promote sustainable development that leads to a good environment for present and future generations." Everyone should live a sustainable life by using as little of the earth's resources as possible. Everyone must take their responsibility. When our father’s grandfather, Karl Andersson, started carving furniture more than a hundred years ago, he promised to produce only "sustainable and durable" furniture. He was restrained with his resources and made everything at home with as little waste as possible. No wear and tear – Environmental thinking at its best! Four generations later we still work in the same sustainable and durable way. Below are some examples of how we at Karl Andersson & Söner take our responsibility for the environment and are sustainable in everything we do.

Sara Wadskog, Huskvarna September 2018

We make our own blockboard, cut our own veneer and cut our own MDF. Everything to get the most out of the wood we purchase. From the start, in the design stage, we try to minimize the impact on the environment. We work with lean development and production with as little waste as possible. As Karl Andersson did, we manufacture sustainable and durable furniture that will last for several generations. All production is carried out at our factory in Huskvarna, Sweden. Here-made furniture is better for the environment than those made in low-cost countries. We are not the cheapest, but we are snug and kind to the environment.

The idea of origin that Kristoffer Jonsson and Andreas Sture had when designing the table Tailor was to make a flexible table with sustainability as a keyword. They chose to cast leg fittings in recycled aluminum. We found a good foundry in Småland not far from our factory. With a clever construction, it's easy to separate the woods from the metal when it's time to scratch the table – in a few decades or so.

Read more about Tailor

We are one of the few furniture manufacturers who reuse our exhibition stands from fair to fair. For the annual fairs in Stockholm, Milan and Cologne we use the same floors and walls that we assemble, pack down and transport back home after the end of each trade fair. It is a modular system that is easy to customize and build just the way we want it. No waste and nothing is wasted unnecessarily. The floors and walls we use today have been attending the fairs for ten years.

This spring we installed solar panels on the roof of our factory to be able to produce our own renewable energy. The idea is that we ourselves will be able to produce about 10% of our year's needs through the solar cells. This means that nearly 22 tons of carbon dioxide emissions are avoided each year. When the factory is not running, we sell the surplus to the public network. Our furniture factory in Huskvarna is powered by renewable energy from solar, wind and water supplied by Jönköping Energi.

When Huskvarna Library moved to the new municipality, they wanted to bring their beautiful Öresund chairs, which Børge Mogensen designed already in 1955. To fit into the brand new premises, the chairs needed to be furbish. They were handed over to Karl Andersson & Söner who had made them fourthy years earlier. New seaweeds were knocked to the seats, the chairs were sanded and painted. Now they stand there as new and recycled in their new home.

Do you have furniture from Karl Andersson & Söner that you want to renovate? Contact us and we can help you with advice and guide you to what are best to do. We often get requests of sanding table tops, painting cabinet, dress on seats and repairing damaged surface layers on well-used furniture. Simple intervention that prolongs the life of your investment so you can continue to enjoy your sustainable and durable furniture.

Recycling