Recognising this, food producers have been quick to brandish their health credentials on their packaging, regardless of whether the product within actually has any. ‘Lower fat’ doesn’t mean low fat. ‘Reduced salt’ doesn’t mean healthy levels of salt, and so on. When this fudging approach is applied to the environmental claims of usable products instead of food health claims, it becomes a problem.
It seems that companies in other sectors of production are following suit in a similar fashion to jump on board the bandwagon of sustainability. The office furniture market doesn’t avoid a good soaking with the ‘greenwashing’ sponge either. The trouble with this is that introducing sustainable design and manufacturing processes is more than just a passing trend – it’s a necessity that furniture companies need to take seriously and commit to, without trying to wow potential customers with fantastic but unrealistic claims. Business managers are becoming increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of the products they select for their workplace. As this becomes more of a factor in selection processes, manufacturers will continue to make more and more claims that may be not much more than simple boasts to generate sales in some cases. In commercial environments, what was started once upon a time with encouragement to recycle used printer cartridges has now become a sustained effort to create greener offices, by both managers and some manufacturers. The validity of certain green claims is something that should be investigated seriously before decisions on purchasing are made.
For example, marketing an office task chair as 100% recyclable is good in theory, but in practice – if there is no attached collection and disposal service, what is the likelihood that the chair will actually be recycled following the end of its use? No manager is likely have the time or the inclination to dismantle a chair, separate its component parts into different recyclable groups and then send it off for processing. More often than not, such items will be disposed of the same way as normal office waste and end up as landfill – or in other terms, not even one per cent recycled, rendering said marketing jargon fairly useless.
Perhaps items such as office furniture would benefit from the introduction of some legislation similar to the rulings that relate to electrical equipment in the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. This would encourage the use of natural or recycled materials where possible during the production and manufacturing processes throughout the workplace supply industry. To offer an example from my own experience, the chemically produced foam that fills seating cushions in conventional office chairs can be replaced with innovative natural materials, such as horsehair – already used in some car seats as it aids the removal of heat and moisture away from the body. Similarly, some manufacturers are developing workstations that include recycled wood between laminate surfaces, creating stylish functional desking that also has less of an impact on the environment. These sorts of measurable differences – as opposed to hollow hyperbole - would become the norm if more legislation was introduced to discourage and outlaw false or empty claims, as has been the case in the food industry.
In terms of the furniture they buy for their workplaces, companies can also aim to lessen their environmental impact through careful selection of products. It may seem good sense to buy bargain basement priced items that have been mass produced on a huge scale to lower costs, but without any assurances of the quality or longevity of these products, this may represent a false economy. Several replacements purchased over a period of time when a higher quality product would’ve endured will probably represent a higher cost overall, both financially and environmentally, once transport emissions and manufacturing waste is taken into account. An investment in the most appropriate furniture, rather than the least expensive can also be an investment in the environment.
Things do look brighter in the industry in terms of awareness of such issues, with the demand for ‘greener’ products increasing in tandem with the drive from some forward thinking designers and manufacturers. More can be done though – particularly at a legislative stage. We’ve seen it with cars – some manufacturers introduced catalytic converters early, and were ahead of the game when everyone was eventually required to do likewise legally. Why shouldn’t this also be the case with office furniture?
Jorgen Josefsson is Managing Director of RH Chairs.
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