CONSULTATION " Garden furniture » Plastic and rattan

How good is garden furniture made of plastic and poly rattan?

Plastic is the cheapest material for garden furniture. In recent years, the material has been further developed, which is why it now looks like some natural materials. Here you can find out what to consider when choosing plastic and polyrattan for your garden furniture.

Plastic furniture for the garden

Over the years, the reputation of plastic garden furniture has improved. This was mainly due to the fact that the plastics used have been further developed over time and have become more durable and resistant. In fact, you probably won't find a garden furniture set at a cheaper price. Outdoor furniture made of plastic is easy to care for, easy to store and nowadays also durable. However, the plastics used still raise concerns for most people.

Teak 95 mm, wood and design Simon Alber

Many names, one raw material

The materials most commonly used in plastic ("plastic") garden furniture are all-plastic, polyrattan, polywood and textilene (R). In particular, garden furniture made of solid plastic (e.g. polypropylene) but also models made of polyrattan and polywood are still made from fossil oil.

Poly rattan furniture

Polyrattan was developed to cheaply imitate real rattan, which consists of wood fibers from the rattan palm tree, and the furniture traditionally made from it. Especially when it comes to lounge furniture, poly ratten in its flat version (flat ratten) is currently in vogue. In fact, however, poly rattan is made from mineral oil. In the manufacture of polywood, an attempt is made to give the resulting plastic a wood-like appearance by adding natural substances such as fibers from wood or hemp to the mineral oil used. Polywood garden furniture also consists to a large extent of petroleum.

Garden furniture poly rattan
garden chair plastic

Cheap but also brittle

Due to the use of plastics, plastic garden furniture is comparatively cheap, light, resistant to weather and insects and quite durable. However, they can heat up a lot on warm summer days and are very sensitive to heat compared to other fabrics. Apart from poly rattan, the plastics used often tend to become brittle and fade. You should also be careful with food and products containing oil or fat (e.g. sunscreen), since stains that arise as a result can often only be removed from the plastic with difficulty.

Consistent? Unfortunately, no.

Especially if the sustainability aspect is important to you, you should consider whether plastic garden furniture is the right choice for you. The plastics used not only have a comparatively questionable climate balance, over time microplastics can also be released, which then end up in nature. Due to the plastics used, you usually have to dispose of plastic garden furniture in a special way and they are difficult or impossible to recycle afterwards. If you decide to use plastic garden furniture, you can make sure that the furniture is made from plastic that has already been recycled.

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longevity
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Origin

Sustainability
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