Looking to furnish your office in a way that’s actually productive and eco-friendly?
We all want to have an office where employees work efficiently and in peace. However, most of us don’t realize how much furniture can affect workers’ productivity as well as environmental impact.
The Issue:
Office furniture is making employees less productive AND polluting the planet.
An average of 1.2 million office desks and 1.8 million office chairs are tossed in UK landfills every year.
What if you were told that sustainable office furniture is the solution to both of those problems?
What you will learn:
- The Environmental Cost of Office Furniture
- Why Sustainable Furniture Increases Productivity
- Smart Sustainable Options for Office Furniture
- Office Furniture Environmental Impact
The Environmental Cost of Office Furniture
Before we go into details, here’s some shocking facts.
The typical office chair produces 72 kilos of CO2 over its lifetime. Just ONE chair. Imagine how much all the other pieces of furniture are polluting the Earth.
Now, you might ask why furniture is even an issue. After all, you just need a chair and a desk for your employees to work in, right?
Well, apparently not. Here’s why:
Office furniture has its “fast furniture” model.
Cheap synthetic materials from abroad that don’t last long. Import it from abroad, use it until it falls apart, throw it away and buy a new one. It’s the same wasteful model that’s ruining the fashion industry.
The result is the vicious cycle of “pollute-throwaway-replace” that kills our environment and your budget.
Now, the 78% of businesses are starting to realize this problem. They know something that many still don’t: Sustainable office furniture is better business.
Why Sustainable Furniture Increases Productivity
If you can’t believe it, just take a look at the statistics. Sustainable furniture has been proven to make workers more productive. There’s a 15% rise in productivity in employees that work in the presence of natural elements
Why does that happen? There are 3 main reasons:
- Better ergonomic design that alleviates fatigue and discomfort. Forget about employees who spend all day adjusting their chairs and desks. Sustainable furniture allows them to focus on their work.
- Natural materials such as wood or bamboo that make the office feel more calm and cozy. Our brains really respond to natural textures and colors.
- Improved air quality due to low-VOC finishes and non-toxic materials. Say goodbye to chemical off-gassing and headaches.
What’s even more interesting is that Burton & Towers research shows that office productivity is linked to environmental factors.
Employees in well-designed, sustainable offices outperform those in traditional setups.
Smart Sustainable Options for Office Furniture
Alright, so now you know why sustainability is a good idea. Let’s move on to how you can make it work in your business.
The following options are the best sustainable solutions for office furniture in 2024.
Modular and adaptable furniture
Sustainable furniture can easily grow with your company. Modular desks, height-adjustable workstations, and movable partitions mean you can reconfigure your space without buying everything new when your needs change.
Pieces made of reclaimed and recycled materials
Some of the most creative sustainable office furniture uses items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Old dining tables transformed into powered workstations. Reclaimed wood with character and eco-friendly bamboo pieces.
Certified sustainable options
Look for furniture that is certified FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), GREENGUARD (low chemical emissions), and BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association). This is not just a marketing label – it ensures the furniture meets strict environmental and health standards.
Office Furniture Environmental Impact
Ok, now let’s give you some real perspective.
In the US alone, 8.5 million tons of office furniture is sent to landfills every year. Just to put that in a visual context – it’s like throwing 107,000 jumbo jets in landfills each year.
Now, when furniture breaks down in landfills, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO2. The manufacturing process also contributes to deforestation, water pollution, and huge energy use.
Sustainable furniture is exactly the opposite.
Choosing furniture made of recycled materials keeps waste out of landfills. Buying furniture made to last means you break the “replace it every few years” cycle. Supporting furniture manufacturers with low-impact production means you vote for a better way of doing business.
How to Develop Your Sustainable Office Plan
Now, it’s time to take action and make the plan to change the furniture in your office into sustainable options.
- First, do a furniture audit of your current office space. What needs replacement, and what just needs to be updated? You might be surprised to find out that most things can be refurbished or upcycled.
- For the furniture that needs to be replaced, start with the most used pieces. Chairs and desks have the biggest impact on both productivity and environmental impact. Spend your budget on high-quality sustainable items in these categories first.
- Pay attention to the total cost of ownership rather than the purchase price. Sustainable desks that last 15 years will cost you less per year than a cheap one that needs to be replaced every 3.
- Plan for the end of life of the furniture as well. You want to buy things that can be easily disassembled and recycled or donated once the time comes.
The Connection to Wellness
Something even more interesting happens when you switch to sustainable office furniture.
Your employees start to feel better. Sustainable furniture is made of natural materials with non-toxic finishes that don’t make the indoor air quality poor. It results in less fatigue, fewer sick days, and better overall health.
Natural materials like wood and bamboo also have psychological effects on your employees. The environment that they work in will become more calming and stress-reducing due to the connection with nature.
The ergonomic design principles which usually accompany sustainable furniture also help with that. There is less physical fatigue, which results in a better health record among employees.
Making the Sustainable Office Furniture Business Case
Let’s get real for a second.
Sustainable furniture in the office is an investment that will provide you with returns in various forms. You will increase productivity, decrease replacement costs, enhance employee satisfaction, and improve your brand value.
Businesses that care about sustainability also have less trouble attracting new talent. The best employees today want to work for companies that reflect their values.
Wrapping It Up
Sustainable furniture is not only about being environmentally conscious (although that’s important too). It’s about furnishing your office in a way that will help your employees work better and faster, and at the same time building a business that can last.
Statistics are telling, sustainable furniture increases productivity and decreases overall costs over time while also making a healthier workplace.
In a time when good workers are hard to find and the environment needs our help, it’s one of the best investments you can make. Start small, plan for the long run, and opt for quality instead of quantity. Your employees, your budget, and the planet will thank you for the decision to switch to sustainable office furniture.
The question is, can you afford not to choose sustainable furniture?
