Working on Circular Office Design: Upscaling

1. Are you noticing increased demand for circular office furniture?

There seems to be a tipping point. More and more companies and organizations are recognizing and embracing the benefits of circular office furniture. Government initiatives—such as the federal buy-back scheme and sustainability requirements in public procurement—are also helping to stimulate demand. Of course, price remains an important factor in purchasing decisions, but sustainability is playing an increasingly influential role. People are becoming more aware of the indirect environmental costs.

3. What’s still missing to truly scale up?

It’s clear that work needs to be done on several fronts. For instance, the government can play an important role by awarding higher scores to sustainable/circular solutions in tenders. Another challenge is the measurability of circularity. This makes it very difficult for procurement officers to compare solutions. There are also logistical challenges in closing the loop: getting materials back to producers for reuse or recycling requires efficient logistics.

In some cases, external funding could provide the push needed for scaling up, but too few investors are familiar with circular models. An additional challenge is that the value of circular solutions is difficult to calculate. Furthermore, the legal framework remains unclear, with many gray areas. Finally, participants noted that circular products and services are still too unknown to the general public. Education, awareness campaigns, and fostering a culture of sustainability could change that.

So, there’s still plenty of work to be done. The foundation is there. Understanding is growing. But urgent additional initiatives are needed to truly scale up.