Sustainable Furniture

The LMAS (the lab I work in at UC Berkeley) has been looking for a couch that will be both durable and functional. Traditionally, a leather couch is the solution, because it can be easily wiped clean, is comfortable, and will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, leather often comes from poorly treated cattle, as mentioned in previous posts. And, the processing of leather involves a plethora of toxic chemicals (note: it is unclear how this compares with chemicals used to process the fake materials). So, what else is out there?

Earlier I posted many vinyl options here, considering them an improvement over leather. However, vinyl (polyvinylchloride) requires toxic chemicals during manufacture, and then slowly "de-gasses" these over its lifetime. A more sustainable non-leather option is polyurethane. There are some fabric makers involved with fake leather that is sustainable, but they don't make furniture.

Some sustainable options are available from:
http://www.viesso.com/products/model.php?cPath=3
http://www.qcollection.com/index.php?mode=tfo_showroom
http://www.greensage.com/furniturestore/pbHfurnasofas.html

Hammock: