Global warming may mean longer summers, but that’s no excuse to clog up landfill sites with throwaway plastic deckchairs. This season’s chicest outdoor ware is as ecofriendly as it’s stylish.

For smooth, solid wood, the deluxe emporium Arbor Vetum (www.arborvetum.co.uk) is leading the way with ergonomic sun loungers in reclaimed teak. The mass market has embraced ecomania, too. “Customers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to buy green,” says Martine Levine, marketing manager of Asda, which has launched a range of tables and chairs made from reclaimed oak in response to concern for the environment.

Marks & Spencer has fashioned its entire outdoor range from sustainable woods, planting as many trees as it cuts down. Its stripy stand-alone hammock, for example, has a sustainable hardwood frame. It’s all part of a new commitment to ecofriendly practices. “By 2012, all of the wooden products M&S sells will carry Forestry Stewardship Council certification, so customers will know they’re not contributing to the destruction of global forests,” says Sally Bendelow, the head of home design at M&S.

The new emphasis on sustainability means that bamboo is no longer confined to beach-themed bars in suburbia. The haute design world has been having a love affair with the wonder grass for a while; now, high-street stores have got in on the act. John Lewis is stocking bamboo hanging chairs and parasols, and Heal’s has chichi bamboo torches and disposable picnic ware.

On the accessories front, Re-foundobjects.com has pretty recycled glass jugs and canopy-style mosquito nets. The Urban Garden has eye-catching rainbow-hued chickens made from recycled wire and plastic in Philippi, a township near Cape Town.

The green-fingered should visit Henandhammock.co.uk for gardening essentials such as trugs, handmade from sustainable local wood, and recycled sacks for waste. But if you would rather just relax and have a barbecue, be aware that charcoal is traditionally derived from threatened tropical forests in South America. Asda’s BioRegional Home Grown Charcoal is locally sourced and supports British forestry, so you can enjoy your organic burger with a clear conscience.

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