In the past, the office was characterized by a row of classic desks, storage elements and printer corners - with functionality primarily determining the layout and furnishing of the shared workspace.
Functionality alone is no longer enough. The office of today must not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also create an environment that contributes to inspiration, visibility of the corporate culture and strengthens the sense of belonging. But what happens when the requirements for this very furnishing change?
Every year, around 10 million tons of furniture waste are produced in the European Union, of which only 30% is recycled. This ecological burden requires a rethink. Sustainable concepts for office furniture offer solutions that not only protect the environment, but also create innovative and inspiring working environments.
The furniture industry is changing - and a rethink is urgently needed
It is quite common that companies are currently facing challenges when it comes to choosing their own office furniture. Firstly, there is the general perception of furniture as a 'disposable item'. This is at odds with the fact that many pieces of furniture are designed to last and could provide years of service.
Another challenge is the disposal of furniture. This process is often time-consuming and therefore associated with high costs. As a result, many pieces of furniture that could still be used end up in storage, where they gather dust for years and ultimately remain unused.
The central question that companies should ask themselves:
Is it really necessary to store existing furniture unused or dispose of it completely to make room for new items? Or would it not be more effective to use resource-saving strategies to reduce furniture waste overall?
In addition to the classic use of recyclable materials through recycling, proven approaches are increasingly emerging that promote more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient handling of office furniture:
- Upcycling: A heavily used piece of furniture, such as a scuffed office swivel chair, can be reupholstered to give it a second life.
- Repurposing: Creative approaches can give used furniture a new function instead of discarding it. This is what happened, for example, with the design of the new Implenia Connect headquarters by the Studio Hürlemann. As part of this project, the architecture firm converted lateral cabinets that were no longer required into mobile project tables with integrated storage space.
Source: Implenia Connect
- Reusing: The combination of new and 2nd life furniture can enrich the character of an office while taking advantage of the circular economy. A harmonious interplay of new furniture and repurposed furnishings can create an office environment that is both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally responsible. One project that goes one step further is the kHaus in Basel. Covering a total area of around 6,000 square meters, it was furnished almost exclusively with 2nd life furniture.
These methods are not only ecologically responsible, but can also make economic sense. Even if Upcycling and Repurposing usually go hand in hand with financial investments, projects with a Reusing can usually be implemented with a limited budget.
Efficient access to 2nd life furniture can be a challenge in this context. Digital platforms such as Furniture Circle create transparency in decentralized furniture warehouses and thus facilitate access to used furniture for third-party companies, employees and other interested parties.
It is time to break away from conventional ways of thinking and take a sustainable approach to office furnishings. On a positive note, it seems that the reluctance to reuse used furniture in the office has decreased in recent years. Approaches such as upcycling, repurposing and reusing make it possible to reduce negative ecological footprints and at the same time increase the value and lifespan of existing office furniture.
Companies that opt for sustainable furniture management not only position themselves as environmentally conscious employers, but can also benefit from cost savings and an improved working environment with clever planning.
