When you still have your sofa in 20 years’ time, you’ll know you’ve bought well. “Buying local is the most sustainable thing you can do,” says managing director of Finline Furniture, Kilian Finane. “And the next most sustainable thing is buying something that’s going to last.”
Founded by Kieran and Bridget Finane, Finline has been making sofas and chairs in Emo, County Laois, since 1979. The company is now run by their sons, Ciarán and Kilian. In many ways, it’s always been a sustainable business. “The secret to successful manufacture is minding the pennies,” Kilian says. “And minimising waste is part of that.”
For more than 40 years, Finline has been segregating waste plastic, cardboard and foam. These are sent back to the factories they were purchased from, either for reuse or recycling. “We’ve been doing this from the beginning,” he explains. “We just didn’t shout about it.”
It’s now considered best practice to repair and re-use older pieces of furniture, rather than replace them. “Finline has always offered a reupholstery service,” Kilian says. “Any of our sofas can be taken back for re-upholstery and repair.” This is an older way of working that has recently come back into fashion, and it’s infinitely more sustainable than buying new. In recent years, the service has been rebranded as Recovery.
Another major change to Finline’s sustainability practice came in 2024, when they launched their Revive programme, a take-back scheme that offers old Finline sofas a new lease of life.
Now, all eyes are on sustainability, and customers are keen to know what each piece of furniture is made from and how far the materials have travelled. All Finline frames are made from solid beech wood. “The frame is the bones of a piece of furniture,” Kilian says. “If the frame is good, it will last.” Each frame from Finline comes with a 20-year guarantee, but in practice, they last a great deal longer.
The back cushions on a three-seater sofa might typically include material from 80 plastic bottles,” Kieran says. This seemingly cutting-edge practice has been in place for more than 40 years but is currently adapting to changes in recycling legislation.
For those with allergies or concerns about the chemicals used in sofa manufacture, some of Finline’s higher-end fabrics are made of natural materials with an interliner that acts as a fire retardant barrier. They also offer a feather-quilted cushion.
In 2025, Finline received the Excellence in Sustainability prize at the Laois Business Awards for their Revive programme and Kilian Finane was named Green Businessperson of the Month by Repak and Newstalk.
So if you’re considering a sofa or chair, head to your nearest Finline showroom where you can choose your perfect design.
Visit Finline in Laois, Galway, Cork and in their expansive new showroom on Dublin’s Long Mile Road. To learn more, visit finlinefurniture.ie.
Read the full article on IMAGE Media here.