You'll Never Guess What This Outdoor Furniture Is Made From

Outdoor furniture isn't cheap, and it's even more of a letdown when you finally decide to splurge on the perfect set only to find out that your order will take weeks to arrive. Don't go canceling your outdoor soirée just yet though—Yardbird is here to help. This direct-to-consumer furniture line delivers stylish and affordable outdoor pieces to your door in just days. But the real reason we're smitten by the brand? These patio sets are made from plastic pollution collected from coastlines around the world.

Inspired to upcycle trash into (loungeable) treasure after living in Asia, co-founder Jay Dillon says: "It was impossible to ignore the ongoing epidemic of plastic litter on the beach and in waterways. After some research, I learned that five Asian countries actually contribute more than 60 percent of the garbage in the oceans."

Wanting to find a way to repurpose the plastic, Dillon, who started the company with his dad, teamed up with a facility in the Philippines to purchase plastic collected from the coastlines to use in Yardbird's resin wicker collections. Yardbird collected and incorporated over 92,000 pounds of intercepted ocean plastic in its 2019 collection and packaging alone.

Currently, each resin wicker piece—which looks and feels like the high-end woven loungers you already love—is made from 64 percent recycled plastic, a number the company continues to try to increase.

Shop Now: Yardbird "Elliot" Eight-Piece Fire Pit Table Set, $4,985, yardbird.com.

How does it work? First, the plastics are collected by local collectors and brought to recycling facilities. The intercepted ocean plastic is then chopped up, washed, and pelletized before being colored with natural dyes. Finally, it's molded into resin wicker and hand-woven onto rust-free aluminum frames.

The complete furniture line features 10 unique collections with something for everyone to accessorize their dream deck. The most popular Langdon sets, with their wide wicker arms and extra plush seating, are a go-to for ultimate summer relaxing while the West Coast-inspired Luna pieces are perfect for minimalist-design lovers. And these sustainable options come at no extra cost to you. By working directly with their supplies and manufacturers, Jay says, "We're able to cut out the middleman and offer high-quality furniture at a fraction of the price." To help offset their carbon footprint from shipping, Yardbird also partners with carbonfund.org which plants trees to combat climate change. Additionally, 50 percent of the furniture's packaging comes from recycled sources with Yardbird using 30 percent less packaging overall, compared to the industry average.

Shop Now: Yardbird "Luna" Outdoor Sofa Set, $1,980, yardbird.com.

"Yardbird is the first outdoor furniture brand to make sustainable a vital part of our mission," says Jay. "We're committed to an ongoing journey to reduce our carbon footprint within our entire supply chain."

Lastly, to keep you and the planet happy, each furniture set comes with a three-year warranty. And when you're ready to trade in your set, Yardbird will happily take back their pre-loved products to recycle into brand new furniture. Now, who's ready to throw the perfect outdoor party? (We'll bring the margaritas.)