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The office furniture sector is still not sustainable enough. In the EU, for example, 10.5 million tons of office furniture is disposed of every year, 80 to 90% of which is incinerated or sent to landfill. Of the newly produced office furniture, 43% is not recyclable and 45% is only partially recyclable.
As a buyer, you are partly responsible for creating a more sustainable office sector. For example, by choosing products that are flexible, modular or upgradeable. That way, you meet the needs of tomorrow, today. Circular Flanders is giving a helping hand in the right direction as a partner in the European Circular Economy Office (CEO) project. The main objective? To make circular office materials mainstream.
Tip: Operational costs for office furniture are low, while they often last longer than standard contract periods. As such, look at the total lifetime cost (from design and use to disposal) where the useful life plays a major role.
Ready to take a circular approach to office design? Think ahead and choose solutions that will grow along with your organisation.
Examples
Circular strategies
Objective 1: reduce total quantities of materials
- Internal sharing: design workstations that correspond to what employees need and how often they are used. If necessary, solicit circular market players: companies with experience in a circular approach, who know how to make the best use of existing furniture, supplemented by refurbished furniture. Make an inventory of the furniture you already own, to avoid unnecessary new purchases. By sharing workstations among colleagues, you need less space. Ensure there is flexibility: consider mobile meeting tables so that rooms can serve multiple purposes.
- 'Peer-to-peer' sharing: share facilities with other users. For example, make meeting rooms available to other businesses in the same building. At large sites, the site administrator usually takes care of this, at small business sites, organisations arrange it themselves. Businesses can also share their rooms outside working hours with associations.
- Renting: consider 'as-a-service' models for items such as lighting and carpet tiles. Check whether the Total Cost of Ownership is more advantageous than purchasing. Always ask for guarantees of circularity. Find out more about leasing here
- Reuse and refurbishing: choose second-hand or refurbished products, or have your own furniture restored. Keep your inventory updated so you know what can be reused when remodelling the office. That way, you can save quite a lot of money. For remodelling plans, include your inventory in the specifications and emphasise the importance of reuse.
- Make sure guarantee conditions are proportionate to the value of the piece of furniture. Refurbished furniture is not always cheaper to buy, but scores better on TCO because materials are reused.
Objective 2: reduce non-renewable virgin inputs
- Insight into the proportion of recycled, bio-based and virgin materials: with office furniture, the greatest environmental impact comes from used materials. Reduce this impact by choosing recycled, wear-resistant materials and bio-based raw materials. Ask your supplier to be open about all materials.
- Design for longevity: wear-resistant materials only offer environmental benefits if the products are actually used for longer. These materials may or may not fall into the non-renewable virgin input category depending on the use.
- More recycled and bio-based material: to set realistic goals for the percentage of recycled material, you can start a market dialogue or request for information (RFI). That way, you get insight into what the market can offer. With this knowledge, you make choices in your specifications that are both feasible and ambitious.
Objective 3: extend the useful life
- Optimise guarantees: match contract duration and guarantees to how long you want to use the product. Make sure your contract terms support your sustainability goals.
- Specify maintenance and repair: extend the service life by specifying maintenance and repair in your contract. Decide on the frequency of maintenance or choose performance-based maintenance. Make clear arrangements regarding waiting times and the location of repairs.
- Products that can be upgraded: choose adaptable products, especially for long-life items. Think about workstations that can later be converted to sit-stand solutions.
- Design for longevity: opt for quality materials that meet European standards for durability, such as scratch and friction resistance.
- Modular design: choose furniture that adapts to changing needs, such as movable fixtures and adjustable partitions.
- Contractual incentives: include in the agreement that the supplier is responsible for (supporting) modifications to the remodelling to extend the useful life.
- Advice on use: ask the supplier to provide users with advice and instructions for correct use and longer life.
Objective 4: maximise possible reuse of product (parts)
- Design for disassembly: choose products that are easy to take apart, without glued or stapled constructions. That way, you can easily repair or replace parts. Ask the supplier for clear disassembly instructions.
- Modular design: go for modular products that adapt to changing needs. Consider furniture with interchangeable parts that you can easily add or replace. That way, there is more chance it will be reused.
- Standardised design: give preference to standardised dimensions so products lend themselves more easily to reuse, inside or outside your organisation. For example, keep sheet material uniform, without complex cutouts that make reuse difficult.
- Take-back and reuse: stipulate in your contract that the supplier will take back or buy back products, with guarantees of reuse.
- Circular business models: work with companies that specialise in reusing products and parts. Make sure they are approved collectors or work together with approved parties. If that is not possible, look for opportunities to reuse individual product parts.
Objective 5: maximise possible reuse of material
- Design for recycling: select products with parts composed primarily of mono-materials which are easily separable. More complex structures can also count as mono-materials: a tabletop with a high-pressure laminate (HPL) finish and a composite top that looks like one unit are also considered mono-materials.
- Transparency in materials: ask for a materials passport or clear markings on product parts. That way, different materials can be correctly recycled.
- Take-back and recycling: include in your contract clear arrangements for take-back or buy-back of products. Is reuse not possible? Demand guarantees of high-end recycling so that raw materials are used in the best way, with minimal environmental impact.
- Circular business models: enter into a contract with a licensed waste collector to process non-reusable products into separated material flows for high-end recycling. Make sure you have the necessary guarantees in this regard.
- Reduce toxicity: toxic substances in office furniture can impair indoor environments, make employees sick and make recycling more difficult as regulations become stricter. Bear this in mind when making your purchases. Especially with adhesives, finishing materials, fillings, upholstery fabrics, chromed or galvanised metals and treated wood. Consult the SRPP criteria tool and EU GPP criteria for guidelines, criteria and labels to include in your contract.
Sustainability labels and criteria
