In purchasing an imitation of designer furniture, you could be contributing to a manufacturing and marketing system that does not take care of the rights or conditions of its workers. Buying a piece of furniture imitating a design icon at a low price could amount to unknowingly supporting an exploitive manufacturing system close to slavery in some cases.

Toxicity of materials:

Copied designer furniture could be bad for your health because of the inappropriate and toxic materials used in its manufacture. Here are few materials to avoid:

Lead paint from which volatile particles can be released and cause serious harm to health when inhaled

Formaldehyde glue, which is toxic and polluting is often used in the manufacture of low-end furniture with MDF components

Phthalates are primarily used as plasticisers, especially in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make it softer and more flexible and can also be present in the fabric coverings of low-end furniture. Many phthalates are endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with the body's hormone system. Studies have linked phthalate exposure to health problems, including increased risk of cancer, asthma, allergies, and developmental issues in children. 

Leather that has been chrome-tanned (a quicker and less expensive process than vegetable tanning) can also effect the health of end consumers by causing allergic reactions. The chrome tanning process, before the production of furniture, is extremely polluting and harmful for workers and the environment. Gradually, manufacturers of luxury and prestige furniture are turning to skins with eco-certification.

Increasingly, luxury furniture manufacturers are redesigning their entire sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and packaging process in order to fit into the dynamics of a circular economy which is vital for our planet: Reduction of polluting residues and waste (raw materials, the product itself and its packaging).

Many luxury brands have adopted the use of recyclable packaging made with sustainably sourced raw materials and recycled materials and a logistics circuit reducing unnecessary energy losses and the manufacture of a final product made with noble components and materials that can be reused or recycled.

A short and predictable lifespan:

The durability of the copied furniture will certainly be lower than that of an original piece of furniture that was produced as an authentic, high-end piece of furniture. By purchasing copied furniture at a low price, the consumer ends up getting rid of it quickly because either it will quickly become damaged or they will quickly get tired of it, as is the case with all “fast” consumer products. This enormous turnover of low-cost furniture is a symptom of the fast-furniture era in which we live and certainly does not correspond to the concept of circular economy that all prestige furniture manufacturers are gradually implementing.