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Sustainability and the Furniture Industry
James BellEnvironmental Consultant
The Business Case for Sustainability
Regulatory
Environmental Economic
Social
Current Issues affecting the Industry
Ethical Timber Hazardous Substances
Carbon Management
‘Eco-labels’
Green Public Procurement
‘Green Buildings’
SustainableManufacturing
‘Eco-design’
Green Public Procurement (GPP) and Government Buying Standards
Furniture Core Criteria include:
• Sustainable timber
• Limited use of hazardous substances
• Use of recycled/renewable materials
• Recyclability of materials at ‘end of life’
• Recyclability of packaging
• Durable, fit for use, ergonomic, easy to disassemble, repairable and recyclable furniture
• GPP introduced by the EU to promote sustainable procurement and consumption.
• Profound impact- 15% of EU’s GDP is public spending
• UK introduced ‘Government Buying Standards’ with criteria for separate product groups, including furniture
What is Chain of Custody?Chain of Custody (CoC) is the unbroken path which timber and paper products take from forest to consumer, including all stages of the supply chain.
….to consumerFrom forest….
Ethical Timber- Chain of Custody
CoC certification provides 3rd party verification that products originate from certified forests.
Certification for products and projects.Anything from toilet roll to the London 2012 Olympic Park!
What is Chain of Custody?Ethical Timber- EU Timber Regulations
• Aim to prevent the sale of illegally sourced timber and timber products in the EU
• 20% of timber entering the EU is from illegal sources
• Operators and traders have obligations
• Companies who purchase timber outside of the EU will need to demonstrate ‘due diligence’.
• Has come into effect from March 2013
Hazardous Substances- REACH• REACH is a complex system of EU Regulations concerning chemicals.
• Affects the entire supply chain; manufacturers, importers and their customers.
• Hazardous chemicals are classified as Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and their use is subject to authorisation and, ultimately, restrictions.
• Several substances in the furniture industry are facing restriction including:
Flame Retardants Dyes and Colourants Plasticisers
Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme
Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme
FISP Audit Structure• Section 1: Core Commitments
• Environmental policy.
• Legal compliance.
• Section 2: Environmental Commitments
• Choice of 5 from 9 criteria.
• Environmental criteria including waste management, energy management, procurement, packaging management, transport and sustainable timber.
• Section 3: CSR Commitments• Choice of 3 from 6 criteria.• Economic and social criteria including community relations, education and
ethical issues.
‘Eco-Labels’
EU Eco-Label(EU wide)
Blue Angel(Germany)
Nordic Eco-Label(Nordic Countries)
Cradle to Cradle(Global)
NF Environnement(France)
Green Seal (USA)
Environmental Choice(Australia and NZ)
Over 400 in total!!
SKA Ratings
• Rating the environmental performance of fit-out projects
• Increasingly asked for in fit-out projects
• Good practice measures for offices and retail
• Now met by FISP certification!
Summary
• Complex range of sustainability criteria affecting the furniture industry, which will inevitably increase
• Variety of economic, environmental, regulatory and social drivers
• Important to consider these criteria when designing, manufacturing and specifying furniture products
Questions