As part of BOH’s ongoing sustainable design coverage, we’ll be publishing periodic news roundups, filling you in on everything from top headlines to the latest innovative products and services—and why they matter.

CIRCULARITY

Last year, bedding and home textiles brand Coyuchi launched a take-back program, 2nd Home Renewed, and now it is selling some of the collected material in the form of a new product. The company partnered with Allied Home, a division of Allied Feather + Down (which is best known for supplying apparel and outdoor brands like Patagonia) to launch a down feather lumbar pillow insert that Coyuchi says is the bedding industry’s first pillow insert with a fully circular life cycle.

Erin Beatty made waves when she launched Rentrayage, a fashion line that brings old clothing, as well as vintage and deadstock fabrics, back to life. The brand branched out into home in September 2023; this summer, it debuted the Village Vanguard collection of vintage table linens, which have been renewed with artful dyeing—an act of fashion-forward upcycling that home brands aiming for more circular design might take note of.

When British fashion and home brand Toast opened the doors to its first U.S. shop, it devoted a lot of floor space to home goods. Every Saturday this month, the brand is hosting drop-in mending workshops in the Brooklyn store to coincide with the debut of its Circle collection of reworn and renewed garments. The sustainably minded bedding brand Morrow Soft Goods is another home company that has embraced repairing as a way to both prolong the life of its products and connect with customers. They’re hosting a mending workshop at their Los Angeles studio on September 28.

INNOVATIONS AND COLLABORATIONS

As Business of Home reported in its story on B Corporations Sabai and Minna earlier this month, collaborations may be a key to amplifying sustainable brands. Color Atelier, the eco-friendly paint and wall finish company, just announced that it will be teaming up with designer Sarah Sherman Samuel to launch a collection of seven custom limewash paint colors next month, perhaps bringing new customers to its sustainable, mineral-based product.

Morrow Soft Goods debuted hemp-based bedding this fall in an effort to source even more sustainable materials. Founder Michelle Toney says that the brand intentionally chose to launch with a design-forward floral and stripe “to show that this isn’t just a ‘granola’ fabric and that it can be used in beautiful, soft, high-quality products.” (There are plans to add solid offerings down the road.) Meanwhile, Boll & Branch debuted a bedding collection made of 100 percent American-grown organic Supima, a species of cotton the company notes is “so rare that less than 0.01% of the world’s supply meets its standards.”

Traceability is taking hold in the home industry, as we reported earlier this year. In June, the home cleaning brand Grove Collaborative launched the Beyond Plastic Impact Tracker, a tool that discloses the amount of plastic avoided and recovered in each order to engage customers more directly in the fight against single-use plastic waste.

Close on the heels of “The Great Air-Conditioner Glow Up,” three Google alumni have started a heat pump company that designers will appreciate. Perhaps the first to take interior design into account, Quilt’s heating and cooling system—designed by Bay Area industrial design team Mike & Maaike—can be customized (painted or wrapped) to match the interior of the room.

RETAIL NEWS

In June, Parachute debuted a textile recycling program: Across its stores nationwide, it will accept sheets, towels, pillows and robes in any condition, from any brand. With the help of its partner Supercircle, the company will sort and recycle all the donated items for a second life, including as furniture batting, insulation and padding. In return, customers will receive discounts toward their next Parachute purchase.

Vintage and antique rugs have always been integral to retailer ABC Carpet & Home’s offerings, and this year, the company has expanded its repertoire to include vintage furniture, which is sold exclusively in-store. Representatives for the brand say the move will help set ABC apart from “corporate-owned furniture companies” and reinforce its commitment to distinctive, high-quality and sustainable design. It sounds like a smart retail strategy too: The promise of a constant supply of one-of-a-kind pieces may have customers visiting the store more often.

In 2020, Ikea opened a trial secondhand store in Eskilstuna, Sweden, which has been extended until at least August 2025. Now the retailer is experimenting with a new model for used furniture: This summer, it launched an online marketplace in Oslo and Madrid that connects customers who want to buy and sell pre-owned Ikea furniture. This resale format may be of most interest to the home industry because it doesn’t require inventory management or photographing the pieces (customers do that themselves).