Collaboration is essential to progressing sustainability, writes Simon Scholes, director at sustainability consultancy Oakdene Hollins, who urges furniture businesses to work collectively and transparently towards creating a sector-wide circular economy – but without neglecting the realities of the bottom line …
As the doors of COP29 closed back in November, Sir Kier Starmer laid out his latest vision, pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by -81% by 2035. This is going to place incredible pressure on UK businesses, but it presents an amazing opportunity for the furniture sector to take a long, hard look at itself and assess whether it is truly doing enough – or could it be doing more?
It is clear that every responsible company understands they have a role and is committed to making changes. But ultimately they are just that – businesses. It makes no commercial sense to sacrifice profit – any changes (improvements) that are implemented must be done with the bottom line in mind.
Throughout the sector, sustainability is a hot topic which is discussed at length, and initiatives are applauded. But when you consider that EU manufacturers as a whole are responsible for 23% of the world’s furniture production, it stands to reason that a more joined-up thinking, collaborative approach will help drive greater sustainability faster, more efficiently, and with a deeper understanding of its overall commercial implications.
Moving past the greenwash
For while a green initiative gives great kudos and PR, it risks coming under the scrutiny of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which has published important findings against some big names recently, as has the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA, publishers of the UK Green Claims Code).
These findings are calling out companies such as Shell, Petronas, Deutsche Lufthansa and Anglian Water who were all accused or making misleading claims – otherwise known as ‘greenwashing’. Although often unintentional, it demonstrates the complexity of working towards carbon net zero and sustainability targets when you take into account the business in its entirety.
In response to the increasing prevalence of greenwashing, there are also regulatory initiatives such as the UK Green Claims Code, and the European Green Claims Directive which exist not to spy on and punish, but rather to give guidance towards creating a more level playing field when it comes to incorporating sustainability claims into overall marketing messaging.
In the furniture sector, almost every manufacturer is claiming that its products are the most natural, organic and sustainable, using terms such as ‘eco-conscious’, ‘environmentally friendly’ or ‘environmentally responsible’ without actually providing any substantial evidence. Often, depending on the product, claims go even further by stating that they are ‘100% biodegradable’ or ‘100% recyclable’, when in reality such claims only refer to certain parts of the product.
What such claims do not take into account is the wider lifecycle of a product, including other elements that are used in the overall production process. A mattress, for example, may contain recyclable elements, but the chances are it is also using chemical flame retardants (CFR), in compliance with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) Safety Regulations. There has been much controversy over the evolution of CFRs, classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with high health and environmental risks, with some CFRs being swapped for others which have only proved to present the same level of risk.
If you then consider the differing legislations and jurisdictions placed on CFRs across different territories, there are a multitude of layers of complexity which need to be taken into account throughout the entire life cycle of a product, from initial design through to EoL.
In it together
While we believe that every individual company is responsible for what it produces, working in step with its partners, stakeholders and competitors will greatly help in the transition to a circular economy, which will help alleviate the pressure on our environment. The more we can collaborate on a sector-wide basis, the greater the positive impact we will all have on our planet.
