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Sourcing sustainable furniture PDF Print E-mail
Written by Alun Watkins, FIRA, 2007   

Alun Watkins, Health, Safety & Environmental Consultant, explains the services offered by the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA), including its promotion of the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP). 

What is being done to promote sustainability in the office?

How can this be monitored?

Sustainable development has risen very quickly up the agenda in most company boardrooms over the last few years. With increasing awareness of environmental issues such as climate change and corporate social responsibility, many organisations are now under pressure to be seen to be operating sustainably. One of the simplest ways in which to display corporate commitment in this respect is to develop an environmental policy and implement company guidelines in areas such as procurement.

One of the most difficult purchasing dilemmas that facilities managers and buyers have to face relates to furniture. In addition to the strict safety and performance standards that products have to meet, there are increasing requirements to ensure that the furniture is manufactured and managed sustainably.

Those responsible for making purchasing decisions are often under pressure to meet tight budgets and it is easy to be tempted into opting for lowest cost.

Buyers can be overly reliant on the information provided to them by the manufacturers or distributors of the products themselves and this can lead to expensive mistakes in the long term. What could have seemed like the best value option at the time may come back to haunt buyers, as poorly designed furniture can lead to health problems in the workforce and a reduction in productivity. Other supply chain issues such as illegally logged timber, workforce exploitation and use of unsustainable materials have also caused considerable public embarrassment for large companies and government departments in recent times.

The Government is also facing challenges in the way that it conducts business. Carbon reductions have been agreed at international conventions such as Kyoto and commitments are in place to improve the environmental performance of UK plc. The result has been encouragement for all sectors to develop specific policy in relation to sustainable development.

Taking sustainable development seriously is the hallmark of today's forward-thinking company. Supported by DEFRA, Envirowise and all the major trade bodies, the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) is promoting the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP). Membership of the FISP is an important and relatively simple way of demonstrating to customers that a business takes sustainable development seriously and provides third party verification of a company's sustainable operation credentials.

It is difficult for facilities professionals to keep on top of all of these important topics when there are so many other demands on their time. At minimal cost, Associate Member status is offered to organisations that wish to avail themselves of FIRA's expertise in this field.

The services that FIRA offers in many areas other than FISP can also be of interest to specifiers and facilities managers. For example, FIRA can assist with information about standards (it helps to write most of them), maximising the efficiency of your workspace, (FIRA has the leading team of ergonomists in the country that can assist). For confirmation that furniture specifications are up-to-date, there's also an online Specifiers Guide on FIRA's website for a modest annual subscription fee.

FIRA, with the support and backing of all the industry's major trade associations, is driving forward the FISP to enhance the reputation and public image of the sector. Membership is only available to those companies that can demonstrate adherence to a set of strict operational performance criteria, although those wishing to make progress can benefit from associate status.

UK furniture manufacturers are capable of world-class performance and have invested significantly in recent years to ensure that their products meet all performance standards and best practice guidelines in terms of environmental efficacy. FISP helps those unfamiliar with the sector to identify easily those manufacturers most likely to be able to supply sustainably produced products. It takes the guesswork out of purchasing decisions.

The programme took two years to develop and has focused on key environmental issues such as energy, waste, transport, sustainable procurement and emissions to air of wood dust and solvents. Social and economic criteria also form part of the programme so that all three facets of the ethos of sustainable development are represented.

The programme has really taken off in the first four months of 2007. A nationwide series of road shows and the publication of two case studies helped in this respect. With the support of DEFRA, FIRA has researched and documented two case studies (available at www.askfira.co.uk) that clearly demonstrate to prospective buyers the measures that have been implemented within the industry in order to offer more sustainable products to the market.

At present most of the Full FISP members are from the office and contract sectors. This is not surprising, as these companies appear to be under greater pressure from their clients, including Government procurement bodies such as the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to perform to certain standards. All Full members are subjected to an independent audit to establish that they meet the criteria and when this has been confirmed they will be awarded a certificate and only then will they be able to use the scheme's logo.

Full Membership is available only to those furniture companies that can demonstrate compliance with a choice of seven environmental, social and economic criteria in addition to the two 'core' commitments of full legal compliance and an approved environmental policy. The seven criteria have an optional element to them to reflect the diverse nature of the products produced in the furniture sector and that a 'one size fits all' approach is not appropriate.

Full members will also be required to complete an annual questionnaire that will be the basis of an Industry Report on Sustainability. It is this report that will allow the members to benchmark themselves against the best in the industry and allow the steering group to make crucial decisions about how to move the programme forward, improve the industry's standing as a whole and ultimately influence the policy makers.

Membership of FISP will give companies a chance to demonstrate that they are taking the sustainable challenge seriously and that they have independent proof to confirm that they are committed to improved sustainable operations. Kitchen manufacturers who supply to social housing schemes are under similar pressure and this is reflected in several major manufacturers also being members. Conversely there appears little pressure at the moment from the domestic market and few have joined FISP from this sector. It is hoped that this will change in the near future and that all sectors within the industry will be equally represented.

If your role involves the specification or purchasing of furniture then please make sure that you demand to see the FISP membership logo from any potential supplier. Specifiers of furniture can be confident that a company using the FISP logo is committed to improving their sustainable credentials. As FISP moves forward, the bar will be raised so that the latest standards of acceptable sustainable performance are always included.

To encourage more companies to join FISP, FIRA will be contacting many companies involved in specifying furniture over the next few months, to see whether they can start requesting of their suppliers that sustainable development is considered in the way they operate. If this becomes part of the standard procurement process it will kick-start the scheme from the end user back up the supply chain. This can only be of benefit to all involved and it is hoped that the FISP logo will be represented on all furniture products as the sign that differentiates sustainably manufactured products from furniture with little, if any, sustainable credentials.

There is already talk of expanding the scheme to include overseas manufacturers. This can only have a long-term benefit for the industry, as all companies will need to meet the stringent criteria, including legal compliance, prior to being accepted as members. This will undoubtedly mean these companies having to adopt improved practices, which will ensure that the playing field is levelled for all within the scheme, irrespective of geographical location.

A dedicated website is available (www.askfira.co.uk), not only to promote the programme but also for potential customers to verify the authenticity of FISP certificates, to confirm that they are buying from approved suppliers.

Further information

Alun Watkins, FIRA, Tel: 01438 777700, Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


 
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