How to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Your Office Furniture

Selecting the right furniture for your workplace is a complex task. There is much to consider, like space planning, budget and aesthetics. Increasingly employers are factoring in sustainability too. In the face of a growing environmental crisis and tighter global regulations, this is becoming ever more important. 

With this in mind, how do you make more sustainable office furniture choices? One important consideration is the quality and longevity of the furniture. 

Are you buying ‘fast furniture’?

In recent years there has been an explosion in cheap office furniture made with parts shipped in from far away countries. This has a large carbon footprint. Often these products do not have replaceable components giving them a shorter lifespan. Most of them end up as landfill.

Tempting as it is to purchase cheap ‘fast furniture’ this will ultimately be much worse for the environment and your budget as it may have to be replaced after a couple of years.

Consider furniture life cycle and longevity

Manufacturing office furniture requires a lot of materials and energy. Many of the materials used in its production come from increasingly expensive, finite sources.

Buying quality furniture that lasts may seem more expensive initially, but in the long run it is a more economical choice. A cheap desk may have to be replaced a few times over a 10 year period, but a higher spec option will only have to be bought once. This enables you to save money as well as reduce the cost to the environment.

Source furniture from vendors who offer warranties and service plans. The lifespan of a piece of office furniture should be at least 7 years.

Look for furniture made locally

The majority of office furniture is manufactured overseas in countries where there are fewer restrictions on air and water pollution. It is shipped thousands of miles adding to CO2 emissions.

Buying furniture that has been manufactured locally reduces your carbon footprint substantially. It will have been produced under tighter environmental regulations that restrict carbon emissions and ensure safe chemical disposal.

Furniture shipped across the country uses a fraction of the fuel required to transport it from overseas. International shipping is a major contributor to global emissions, so buying locally has huge benefits for the environment.

Recycling and end of life

Globally millions of tonnes of office furniture ends up in landfill. This is likely to grow as businesses downsize their office space as a result of Covid 19. Landfills are a major source of pollution. Much of their content breaks down at a very slow rate and will create serious problems for future generations.

Office refurbishments often result in furniture that’s in good condition being thrown away. Before disposing of office furniture you need to consider whether it could be repurposed or used elsewhere in the company. Could components such as aluminium and metalwork be stripped and recycled?

Maybe local charities, schools and community organisations could benefit from a furniture donation. This could also add to your company’s corporate social responsibility agenda.

Give your image a boost

Nowadays a company’s commitment to the environment must extend beyond the products and services it offers. Making more sustainable office furniture choices is a great way to reduce the overall carbon footprint of your business.

Surveys have shown that sustainability is high up on the agenda for younger workers as well. They prefer to work for employers with a strong environmental ethos.


If you are interested in buying quality and durable furniture, Technology Desking offers a 10 year warranty on most of its products. We provide replaceable components and use local manufacturers. Get in touch to find out more!