Furniture for the Future: Winning the PSBJ Sustainability Award

Seattle-based Urban Hardwoods / Urban Lumber Co INC, a leader in sustainable, handcrafted furniture, has been honored with a prestigious Sustainability Award from the Puget Sound Business Journal on March 25, 2025. Recognized for its commitment to eco-friendly materials, ethical sourcing, and innovative waste-reduction techniques, the company continues to set new standards in sustainable craftsmanship. Dave Hunzicker, UH Operations Manager, accepted the award and spoke about the sustainable furniture process, answering questions during the ceremony alongside other green Seattle-based businesses and attendees on Tuesday. This award highlights UH/ULC’s dedication to blending design excellence with environmental responsibility, solidifying its reputation as a pioneer in the green furniture industry.

“Prioritizing salvage, sustainability and reuse is possible along with beauty, quality, a good place to work and profits,” owner and President Seth San Filippo told the Business Journal. “It is also worth the effort.”

Urban Hardwoods doesn’t just make furniture—they make a difference. While commercial designers, architects, and conglomerates alike continue to be critiqued for their carbon footprint, Urban Hardwoods has been a sustainable, Seattle-based manufacturer since its founding in 2001. By salvaging city street trees downed by storm damage, hazard, disease, and city planning, they save an estimated 100,000 board feet of premium lumber from Seattle’s landfills annually. The trees are then transported to Urban Hardwoods in SoDo, where they’re fully processed, stored, and revitalized by artisans into custom, heirloom-quality furniture.

What’s the biggest challenge Urban Hardwoods had to overcome to achieve its goal?

“It requires specialty equipment, processing, storage and connections to prioritize a unique but worthy material source. … We are constantly improving process efficiencies and salvage connection relations to divert more material from the waste stream every year.”

Their clients often include big commercial businesses such as Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, Google, Hyatt Hotels, Disney, and Seattle’s very own Microsoft—which recently expanded its Redmond campus, cutting down approximately 60,000 board feet. Urban Hardwoods worked closely with the tech firm to salvage these trees and is currently outfitting the expanded campus with furnishings made from the construction site timber.

How does the company engage and motivate its employees to participate in those initiatives?

“It is part of the company ethos. It’s important to and part of every employee’s daily tasks, from start to finish.”

How has the company worked to minimize waste and improve sustainability across its supply chain?

“We pride ourselves on our low waste operations. We salvage and mill every piece of a tree that we can use. We make all of our wood scraps available to local craftspeople for smaller woodworking projects. Any remaining wood waste gets picked up and used as firewood, while our sawdust is collected and used for soil building by a local farmer.”

By using the greenest materials for their products and helping companies reduce their own carbon footprints, Urban Hardwoods / Urban Lumber Co INC actively contributes to a more sustainable Seattle. Whether it’s urban expansion or the ongoing “fast furniture” repercussions of mass deforestation, chemical pollution, and the waste crisis, UH / ULC has been a pioneering solution to the problem. Ahead of the curve, combining sustainable practices with exceptional craftsmanship, they’re not just doing business—they’re doing better—for the city, the environment, and the future…

Source: Urban Hardwoods