Making environmentally-aware lifestyle and green purchasing choices is nowadays very important in our daily lives. This is more so when faced with present growing challenges, such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, climate change and environmental pollution. read more.....

Protecting the environment also requires the regulation of the trade in species, especially when endangered, in order to safeguard their long-term survival in the wild. In this regard, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) sets out legal restrictions that directly affect the antique furniture sector, in terms of antique items that contain elements of endangered species. read more.....

Another important environmental legislation affecting the sale and buying of antique chairs is the ivory ban. Ivory may sometimes be found as an inlay in chairs. The Ivory Act 2018 (came into effect in June 2022) bans the sale of any form of ivory, unless the ivory falls within certain exemption categories. An exemption must be applied in order to deal in items containing ivory (including buying and selling).

Antique chairs made before 3 March 1947 with less than 10% ivory by volume, where all the ivory is integral, fall under the standard exemption. The item in question still needs to be registered for a cost of £20, before it may be offered for sale (and bought).

Upon registration, DEFRA's APHA issues a unique submission reference enabling the selling (and buying) of the registered item. The Sitting Place® adheres to this requirement if an antique chair with ivory inlay is being kept and offered for sale. When such an item is bought, the buyer will be required to re-register it with APHA, unless it is kept entirely for personal use.

CITES restrictions would also apply if chairs containing ivory inlay are moved out of Great Britain (thereby requiring a CITES import, export, re-export permit issued by APHA and a corresponding permit from the relevant management authority of the destination country).The Sitting Place® only sells items of antique seating within Great Britain (mainland) and does not ship overseas.

More accurate and detailed information on the legal obligations mentioned here is available at the following websites:

www.cites.org

apha.defra.gov.uk

www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports

www.gov.uk/guidance/endangered-species-certificates-for-commercial-use

www.gov.uk/guidance/dealing-in-items-containing-ivory-or-made-of-ivory

https://apply-deal-ivory.service.gov.uk/what-species-expert