Sustainable Office Furniture

Reducing carbon footprint through choice of office furniture is a fairly easy proposition for most SMEs, but rarely requires immediate action. By far the most effective approach to the subject is to do nothing. This is because introducing even the most eco friendly desks, chairs or cabinets generates considerable emissions, whereas the most plastic laden furnishings can do no harm when in use.  

Just to put into context the environmental impact office furniture has on the planet, consider the statistic that the carbon footprint for the average office chair is estimated to be 72KG of CO2. If multiplied by for example, 15 chairs for every UK SME, of which there are 5.3 million, that equates to the production of 6.3 tons of carbon.  

When the time comes for a furniture update, there is a range of options available that are environmentally friendly and can save on costs, even if it takes slightly more time than picking conventional furniture out of a catalogue or from a website.

When there is a need to buy office furniture, there are four routes to being sustainable:

• Buy second hand furniture
  

• Refurbish
  

• Buy remanufactured furniture
  

• Buy new sustainable furniture

Buying Second Hand

Buying second hand is easily the most convenient sustainable choice, and frequently a big money saver. Good condition used furniture is usually obtainable from specialist suppliers, or at auction. A quick search online will provide local options, and often complete matching suites of chairs, desks and cabinets can be obtained.

Refurbishing

If existing furniture is becoming tired looking, it is possible to have it refurbished with sustainable materials. Having existing furniture refreshed can bring it back to showroom condition, and provide cost saving over buying new.

In all regions of the UK there are companies that specialise in office furniture refurbishment, and it should be a straight forward process to obtain quotes to find the best deal. There are also several companies that operate nationally with regional centres that can help, such as Coggins https://www.coggin-sos.co.uk and Office Resale https://www.officeresale.co.uk 

Remanufactured Furniture

A mini industry has grown up around remanufacturing, a process in which specialist environmentally focused companies acquire used office furniture, and rebuild it using sustainable materials.

The companies involved also often have strong social as well as environmental practices, for example employing those with challenging backgrounds, such as the long term unemployed or those that have suffered homelessness. Companies such as Rype Office have quality control processes that involve using the main component parts existing office furniture, such as steel frameworks, checking for strength and overall integrity, and rebuilding using appropriate materials. The end product is of good quality, and even of a premium level based on original high end brands, such as Herman Miller Knoll, Haworth and Vitra. Furniture is remade to match too.  

There is frequently cost saving to be made from buying remanufactured furniture, and spending a little more for a better standard of furniture is that it lasts longer, looks better and continues that way for much longer, which in turn reduces carbon footprint.  

Companies that have a strategy of using remanufactured furniture may want to publicise this part of a sustainability programme. There are lots of advantages in doing this because it demonstrates commitment to the environment, which is something both B2B and consumer buyers increasingly look for. The Office Furniture Remanufacturing Association allows companies the use of the Second Life Furniture badge based on the percentage of remanufactured furniture in use. It is a simple step to qualify, and the mark can be used within buildings, websites and letterhead to highlight planet friendly furniture procurement. Details can be found via this link https://ofrauk.org/mark/

New Eco Friendly Furniture 

There are a growing number of options for new sustainable furniture, but usually it is not cheap. Brands such as HAG, Capsico, Vwork and Blume provide broad options, including high end ergonomic designs, but frequently it is at the top end of the price range, and bought by bigger businesses that can swallow the cost more easily. For this reason, alternative planet friendly options are often more realistic for most SMEs. 

Let Standard Marks Do The Work

Whatever option is selected when office furniture decisions are being made, whether new or used, there are a few checks that can be made in establishing environmental provenance. It is frequently possible to identify whether sustainable materials have been used as components, and whether it is ultimately destined for landfill, or can be recycled.  

Sustainable wood, including bamboo can be used in furniture along with wool and other natural fibres rather than oil based synthetic materials. Standard marks are a good guide for this and worth knowing. In terms of wood as a constituent part, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the key label to look for. There are a number of different categories. ‘FSC Mix’, signifies is a mixture of approved timber, recycled or wood from sustainable woodland. ‘FSC Recycled’ confirms 100 percent recycled wood, and ‘FSC100%’ means wood content that is from Forest Stewardship Council certified forests and woodland.

Another standard mark to look for is the remanufacturing label, FIRA Standard / FIRA. It applies to chairs, tables and storage units and guarantees warranty, product assembly, inspection, testing, replacement parts, labelling, environmental information and the waste stream management used in rebuilding furniture. Another certification to be aware of is the Bluesign Approved. This certification is given to producers of fabric that stick to ‘Earth Friendly’ practices, and includes guarantee of an audited supply chain. There is also the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP) mark, which was established to identify manufacturers that achieve minimum levels of carbon emission during manufacturing and other operations.

Other accreditation marks that signal carbon efficiency include ISO 14001:2015 environmental management systems. To qualify, companies have to show they have management processes to reduce emissions. In addition, there is also PAS 2060:2014, which is a British Standards Institute approval mark of carbon neutrality. If furniture does contain plastic, it is worth looking for one other accreditation mark, SCS Indoor Advantage. It was created due to concerns that plastics can emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that can compromise indoor air quality. The SCS badge provides assurance that VOCs will not be present.

Distance Is Important

The final factor to consider is where furniture actually comes from, whether new, second hand or remanufactured. The further it travels, the bigger the carbon footprint it leaves behind. Therefore, it is best to source locally if realistically possible.

The furthest mileage to draw the line at is in approximately 200 miles, according to professionals that work in the sustainable office furniture sector. However, areas like the south east and midlands have far more options, and therefore in some regions it may mean looking beyond the 200 mile limit. Equally, if buying new it is best to seek furniture made domestically as even the most eco compliant chairs, tables and cabinets can trail a damaging carbon trail if manufactured on another continent.  

Next Steps

Sourcing planet friendly office furniture and refurbishment may seem like a time consuming task, but it is usually not something that needs doing frequently, and the options available are increasing all the time. It can be as quick as spending half an hour in an online search, and making a few phone calls to discover the best environmental and costs resulting in a favour to the planet, and the bank balance.