How’s this for complete cradle-to-cradle sustainability? The exquisite wooden tables by Dutch manufacturer Herso feature tabletops of reclaimed wood, bases of re-purposed steel (salvaged from discarded pig enclosures, no less), natural collagen-based glues, and VOC-free linseed oil for topcoat and sealant. All of that sounds like a pretty impressive green quotient to me, but Herso goes one (or several) further.

Rectangular Dining Table. Designed and Manufactured by Herso.

Explore the Bounds of Cradle-to-Cradle Sustainability with Herso Tables

The Herso credo stipulates that true sustainability doesn’t only apply to the immediate materials of the immediate product, but also to any tangible or metaphorical detritus in its wake. That’s  a fancy way of saying that Herso pays no small mind to the effects of the manufacturing process.

To wit, not only does Herso employ exclusively post-consumer material to manufacture their wonderfully eclectic line of tables, they also farm out any and all byproducts created in the process. The use of remnant wood chips, dust, and small cubes extends from cat litter to plant compost, industrial alcohol to lignin, “even the pulp that remains is useful… that is composted to basic material for biofuel.”

Herso’s commitment to a comprehensive sustainability is indeed impressive—a useful model of the materials stream that all of us should emulate—but it really doesn’t amount to much if the product doesn’t compel clients to invest. Happily, Herso’s tables do that and more.

Herso employs the patchwork quality of incorporating different woods to excellent effect. The lovely line of tables feature varied lengths and thicknesses of variously colored wood. The effect of the whole—whether we’re talking of Herso’s traditional rectangular dining table or the less conventional surfboard inspired elliptical pieces—is a pleasantly dizzying but always cohesive aesthetic, a visual and textural tour de force of contrasting shapes, sizes, and colors that appeals to all stripes.

About the Manufacturer: Dutch manufacturer Herso handcrafts exquisite table of contrasting tones, grains, and types of wood. The pieces are distinctive for their visual punch and textural intricacies, and the company stands out for its comprehensive environmental policy. All Herso products are upcycled from post-consumer wood; all scrap from manufacturing is re-incorporated into the product stream; and all carbon emissions are offset: “Sustainability is not an empty promise but a Herso standard starting point…. additionally, for each table made from waste, we plant a new tree on 13 acres of wooded park in Heeswijk, Netherlands.”