What to Look for When Buying Sustainable Teak Furniture

With summer now with us, despite the weather not exactly playing ball, being able to get outside and enjoy some quality time sat relaxing in whatever outdoor location you have is something we all love to do. Whether it be that small balcony or your large garden, sat relaxing with friends and family is so very special and enjoyable. But to be able to enjoy the great outdoors you will be needing some garden furniture to make the experience so much more enjoyable.

Here at Ottena we offer a wide range of solid teak garden furniture, perfectly designed to suit whatever needs you have. From large patio sets suitable for wining and dining with your nearest and dearest, to garden benches that will suit any outdoor location, the choices are endless. Shopping for solid teak garden furniture can be a minefield, but one important thing to seriously consider and something that is at the forefront of everyone’s decisions, is how sustainable is teak? Is the teak I am ordering sustainable? What proves it is sustainable? These are just a few questions we get asked regularly, so hopefully we can explain a little about the teak we source and what makes and proves its sustainability.

The teak used to manufacture our garden furniture comes from Javanese plantations that are strictly controlled and governed under certain legislations to ensure the sustainability. Using plantation teak, not teak that comes from natural forests where there can still be issues with illegal logging, ensures that the wood is utilised for commercial usage and is controlled to maintain this supply. With teak having a naturally high oil content, this makes it a great wood to grow as the requirement for chemicals and fertilizers is kept to an absolute minimum, due to it being naturally pest resistant. Our manufacturer will also try to use as much of the teak as possible to ensure wastage is kept to a minimum. 

As you will be aware, teak is graded into 3 categories depending on where in the tree it comes from. These grades are A, B and C. Our manufacturer will predominantly use grade C but will utilise as much of the timber as possible, using a blend of all three grades to minimise wastage. Any teak that cannot be used is passed to local crafts and trades to allow them to manufacture gifts etc. that can be sold in local markets.

Another great feature of teak is its longevity. Teak garden furniture can last for many years, making it a very sustainable choice for your outdoor location. My own teak bench has been proudly sat in my garden now for the past 6-7 years and despite being a little weathered, it is still just as strong and sturdy as the day I assembled it and put it out there!

To ensure that the plantation teak we is sustainable, it is strictly controlled under a certification scheme. The SVLK (Sistem Verificasi Legalitas Kayu) is Indonesia’s national timber legality assurance and certification scheme. Without this certification, our manufacturer is unable to export teak garden furniture to us. This SVLK certification scheme works closely with the FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) scheme. This scheme ensures that FLEGT timber is considered to fully comply with EU Timber Regulation.

Purchasing teak garden furniture for your outdoors can be such a lovely experience, giving you many years of comfort and enjoyment but ensuring it has come from sustainable sources is just as important. We hope that we have explained a little of where our teak comes from and how it is sustainably controlled, but if you have any other questions then please either visit the FLEGT website or forward any questions to us here at Ottena using our email hello@ottena.co.uk