Sustainable Furniture – Establishing Priorities Southernsbroadstock is an approved supplier on the NWUPC Furniture Framework . As part of its offer, the company can provide environmental impact advice as well as services to maximise the useful life of furniture assets. Southernsbroadstock’s sustainability progress report and the Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon reduction plan are published on its web site.
It is widely reported that furniture, fittings, and equipment (FF&E) represent 30% of a building’s carbon footprint over its lifespan. Waste is a fundamental factor with an estimate that the UK’s commercial interiors sector discards 300 tonnes of fit-out waste every day including furniture. Most universities have already introduced robust ESG strategies and there’s increasing recognition that actions and ambitions towards greater environmental responsibility influences students’ choices for future learning. There is a significant opportunity to drive change through a focus on furniture procurement by understanding carbon impact, product materiality, eco-design, reuse, and end-of-use recycling.
The challenge for buyers is establishing priorities. Many manufacturers are introducing ranges which incorporate waste, such as discarded fishing nets or coconut husks as well as new, innovative materials and all are heralded as more environmentally responsible. Do these new introductions help support greater sustainability, or do they encourage people to buy new products without considering how to maximise the ‘life’ of existing assets? Project decisions should start with the questions “what can we do without?” and “what can we reuse?”. Evaluation and design solutions should be driven by minimal changes to achieve maximum impact. Aesthetic and functional design outcomes can still be achieved without necessarily discarding all existing assets. The approach also offers the opportunity to communicate a powerful environmental message to students.
When buying new, evaluation for future use to reduce subsequent waste should be part of the process. Are the new products designed for reuse and repair? Can they be disassembled so that materials can be segregated for recycling? Analysis also needs to include a recognition of the longer-term lifecycle cost, not simply the initial purchase price.
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