CFAS Spring 2020 Journal

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Sustainable products: what does this mean for furniture manufacturers? What comes to mind when you think of ‘sustainability’? The definition has evolved to encompass much more than postconsumer recycling and reducing carbon footprints. Where some sustainability practices have been promoted as USPs in the past, these are now becoming ‘standard’ and ‘expected’ by customers.
PLANET HEALTH There are plenty of materials that can be recycled to create functional and design-led products, such as plastic from the sea. There is a flood of single-use plastic taking over our waters. More than 80% of all the waste in the ocean is plastic and more than 8 billion kilos is dumped into our oceans annually. There are innovative manufacturers, investing in research and product development to find solutions to the problem that we like to call ‘Plastic Soup’, but this all takes time. Option A is to focus on producing products that are 100% recyclable. This is a great way to reduce the amount of waste you are contributing to the problem. However, we are assuming that the consumer will dispose of these products responsibly, thus risking our efforts. The components often need to be separated and recycled in a variety of ways, which is also notoriously costly. Option B is to produce furniture from recycled materials. This method addresses the problem by helping to clear the land and waters of waste. The ideal solution would be to have a product that encompasses both option A and B. However, there are limitations regarding how many times some of these materials can be recycled. There are alternative solutions, such as focusing on educating customers. There is plenty of information that offers contradictory advise. Taking control of this information by helping customers to understand their There are two basic routes to offering more sustainable products. The first is the prevention of ‘Plastic Soup’ and the latter is the cure. options and the impact of their decisions, will positively impact your sustainability targets. The responsibility also lies with the manufacturers to be transparent; publishing sustainability agendas, plans for supporting the destruction of ‘Plastic Soup’ and the barriers they face. Your customers will have more trust in your brand as a result. What about product quality and timeless design? There’s also the argument that simply producing high quality furniture, increasing the longevity of the product, is enough to address the issue. Products that have a strong design and stand the test of time may never need to be thrown away or recycled. The key point here is that we’re in this together. Sustainability should be less about maximising profit and more about corporate social responsibility. If we don’t take responsibility as manufacturers to educate and change our outlook on sustainability, there will be much wider consequences than simply being a contributor to the problem. Emily Nickless Marketing & Brand Development Manager – Nomique www.cfas.uk | 9
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CFAS Spring 2020 Journal

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