Knowledge Hub Article
Published on
30th April, 2011
by Furniture Industry Research Association
Study into the Feasability of Benchmarking Carbon Footprints of Furniture Products 2011
The furniture industry has long demonstrated its commitment to environmental and sustainability issues, primarily through industry developed schemes such as the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme (FISP).
Organisations are increasingly expected to assess and reduce their environmental impact. In this respect; Carbon Footprinting has a significantly raised profile over the last decade. Full carbon footprinting of furniture products has been considerably expensive, putting it outside of the reach of many businesses. In addition, the lack of any third party validation of product footprints has made the carbon impact comparison of products by manufacturers and specifiers very difficult.
There are a wide range of decisions to be made, and a lot of knowledge to acquire for a company to ‘go it alone’ in preparing an organisational or product footprint. In recognition of this, FIRA has worked with environmental experts to simplify and standardise the process for the furniture industry, resulting in a simple, low cost and user friendly carbon calculator (Furniture FootprinterTM). In this regard FIRA’s study into the feasibility of generating comparable carbon footprints using the Furniture FootprinterTM tool and a consistent methodology is to be applauded.
This study shows that the carbon footprinting of products is a complex subject, with a number of difficulties that need to be overcome before the benchmarking of products can be adopted.
You may be interested in
entries related to...
Research Association,
Knowledge,
Environment,
Sustainability
88 Entries
Association welcomes new members
New members join the Furniture Industry Research Association
First office furniture Remanufacturing Standard
Covers office and contract chairs / seating, office and contract tables / desking, office and contract storage units
Association welcomes new members
15 New members join the Furniture Industry Research Association.
Latest Club Green Member's Newsletter - August 2019
Keeping you up-to-date with environmental legislation
REACH Update - New substances of very high concern - August 2019
Four new SVHC added to the Candidate List
Guidance for the safe storage of oil and other liquids
New guidance from Defra
Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life
Statement on the publication of the EAC's 'Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life'
Office of Product Safety & Standards Publishes Latest EUTR Enforcement Activity
Have you fulfilled your obligations under the legislation?
DecaBDE as a barrier to the Circular Economy
UK produces 1.6m tonnes of bulky waste, 42% is furniture and mattresses
ECHA announces public consultation of formaldehyde restriction in articles
Formaldehyde is used extensively in furniture articles
Latest Club Green Member's Newsletter - February 2019
Keeping you up-to-date with environmental legislation
DEFRA Guidance on F gas: guidance for users, producers and traders
guidance to industry in the event of a “no deal BREXIT scenario
‘Statistics Digest for the UK Furniture Industry’
£17.5 billion consumer spend on furniture and furnishings
‘Electrical accessories incorporated into furniture - a guide to the UK regulations’
Third guide concerning electrical components in furniture
Proposal to further restrict formaldehyde under REACH
Research conducted on behalf of the European Commission
FEMB Technical Committee Meeting Report - January 2019
Development of a European Standard for Sustainable Office Furniture Products.
Proposal to implement a new substance registration process under REACH
A second proposal is evaluating whether the requirements for chemical dossier updates needs strengthening.
EU Exit Business Readiness Forum 31st January 2019
The forum is likely to be hosted on a weekly basis until March 2019
REACH Update - New Additions to Substances of Very High Concern
Five new SVHC added to the Candidate List
The UK Government’s Resources and Waste strategy for England paper published
The Government Resource and Waste strategy forms part of the 25 Year Environment Plan
DEFRA guidance on trading in CITES listed species in the event of a no-deal BREXIT
Club Green environment manual updated
Comprehensive guide to the fundamentals of environmental management
Environment Agency publishes updates to Waste Charging Scheme and WEEE Registers
Updates for Waste (Miscellaneous) Charging Scheme and Waste electrical and the electronic equipment (WEEE) public regist...
Interim policy for mattresses and mattress pads
Policy for mattresses subject to 16 CFR part 1632
Government White Paper on Immigration
Single immigration system, ending free movement
Final standards update for 2018
Details of new standards and updates to others
BIFMA Standard Chemical Subcommittee report
Committee meeting report available to members of the Research Association
Furniture Industry Research Association summarise final quarter activity
Standards, new guidance, Brexit and more.
REACH EU exit guidance
Seven different scenarios are covered.
Office and contract furniture technical forum update
Resources are now available to members.
Vietnam-EU legal timber agreement signed
The EU has signed an agreement to support the Vietnamese government.
PEFC Annual Stakeholder Event Report October 2018
Stakeholder meeting to discuss sustainable forestry and receive an update on PEFC scheme
Guidance on buying and selling timber in a Brexit no-deal scenario
Includes links to the government guidance documents
Biomass Subsidies and their impact on the British Furniture Industry
This report focuses on the Renewables Obligation woody biomass subsidy and the detrimental effect it is having on Britis...
Membership
Benefits of membership and how we support the industry
Become a member
Join hundreds of organisations who rely on us for knowledge
Competitiveness of the UK furniture manufacturing industry
Current and alternative flame retardants for upholstered furniture
The use of flame retardants in furniture and furnishings is of great significance, especially in the UK, where fire safe...
The Furniture Industry Research Association Council
Furniture Industry Research Association
Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the home - A Guide to the UK Regulations
Any filling material, whether foam or non-foam, intended for use in furniture, must meet specified ignition tests. This ...
Sustainability services
Helping the furniture industry understand and keep up with environmental legislation and comply with legal requirements
Club Green
Health, safety and environmental legislation service for the furniture industry
Mind The Gap - Skills and Training in the Furniture Industry
This report aims to fuel the development of industry wide initiatives to ensure that the skills agenda is fully addresse...
Club Green Member Newsletters
Environmental updates,
National Furniture Specifications - A Guide for Specifiers
Guide to assist specifiers in the tender process when acquiring contract or domestic furniture and a guide for manufactu...
Club Green Members Manual
Product Selection for the furniture supply chain
How to manage the product selection process from initial brief to placing your product on the market, working with your ...
Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme
Demonstrate your commitment to sustainability through independently verified scheme for the furniture industry
Report on 'Real-life' UK kitchen study findings
Three year study into the way UK consumers use kitchens
Sustainability Hotspot Analysis for the Furniture Industry
The Furniture Industry Research Association presents the wide ranging aspects of a sustainability hotspot analysis by re...
The European Timber Regulation - your legal responsibility
Helping you comply with the European Timber Regulation
Chain of custody and timber procurement
Our experts can help you implement a chain of custody systems
The Furniture Retail Quality Group best practice guide - flammability testing
Advice for upholstery component manufacturers and suppliers to help identify the requirements for different upholstery c...
The potential impact of flame retardants on the 'end of life' of upholstered furniture and furnishin...
This report investigates the impact of the presence of flame retardants on the furniture industry in relation to the dis...
Furniture Retail Quality Group - Industry Standard Children’s Domestic Furniture - General safety re...
FIRA Standard created due to the absence of any British or European Standards applicable to children’s domestic and camp...
Furniture Retail Quality Group - Industry Standard Furniture - Children’s Domestic Furniture – Seat...
FIRA Standard created due to the absence of any British or European Standards applicable to children’s domestic and camp...
Furniture Retail Quality Group Industry Standard Furniture - Children’s Domestic Furniture - Tables ...
FIRA Standard created due to the absence of any British or European Standards applicable to children’s domestic and camp...
Furniture Retail Quality Group - Industry Standard Furniture - Children’s Domestic Furniture – St...
FIRA Standard created due to the absence of any British or European Standards applicable to children’s domestic and camp...
The Furniture Retail Quality Group Best Practice Guide 2017 - Glass in Furniture
The guide has been developed in conjunction with the Furniture Retail Quality Group, whose members include technologists...
FIRA Standard - Remanufacturing
FIRA Standard which specifies the requirements for the remanufacture of office and contract furniture including seating,...
Adhesives for Furniture
A look as the types of adhesives used in the furniture industry and their uses
Improved Performance for Businesses Implementing ISO 14001:2015
This article is a simple, beginners guide to performance measurement.
Leather types, characteristics and maintenance
Leather types and characteristics, the benefits of testing and care and maintenance of leather upholstery
Moisture Content of Timber - Production & Storage
This article give guidance in this respect for wood based materials intended for use within UK interior environments.
Specifying leather for furniture
Identifying which standards and properties are relevant to leather performance
What is cable management?
Cable management standards
UV Pine lacquer free colouration
Adding colour to pine the natural way
Water damage to kitchen worktops
Why worktops need to be fitted correctly
REACH Guide
This guide is designed to give a general introduction to REACH awareness and user obligations.
COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations)
Guidance to FIRA members on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), with a particular em...
Circular Economy
Remanufacturing for the Circular Economy
Report summarising the finding of a project which compares the potential of remanufactured furniture versus brand new pr...
DecaBDE as a barrier to the Circular Economy
Whether an analysis of the impact of decaBDE being added to the UNEP POP list for the UK furniture industry is viable an...
A Guide to the Environmental Legislation for Weeds and Non Native Species
Simplified guide to the Regulations that govern the identification and management of weeds and non-native flora species ...
FIRA Guide to the European Timber Regulations (EUTR)
Launched in October 2010 the EUTR came into force in March 2013, with the aim of preventing illegally harvested wood fro...
FEMB Technical Committee Meeting Report - September 2016
Team of experts to review European norms and standards and monitors proposed changes in Regulations
Sustainable Forestry & PEFC scheme updates - January 2017
These are notes from a Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) workshop
Sustainable Timber Procurement and Chain of Custody
If you purchase or sell wood or timber based items, product need to be procured from a proven sustainable resource
Statistical Digest for the Furniture Industry 2018
This Digest reveals continued growth in demand for furniture and furnishings with consumer expenditure at £17.5 billion.
Statistical Digest for the Furniture Industry 2017
Furniture industry statistics, including facts, figures and commentary covering furniture production and international t...
Statistical Digest for the Furniture Industry 2016
Furniture industry statistics, including facts, figures and commentary covering furniture production and international t...
Environment after BREXIT - April 2017
Discussions around alignment with other legislation and REACH
BFC Manifesto for the Furniture Industry 2017
The BFC Manifesto has been developed in response to an industry-wide survey it conducted soon after the EU referendum wa...
Cabinet furniture buying guide
Consumer guide that can help you choose cabinet furniture that is right for you.
Kitchen buying guide
Kitchen furniture buying guide that can help you purchase a kitchen which is right for you
Mattress buying guide
Mattress buying guide that can help you buy a mattress that is right for you.
Outdoor furniture buying guide
Garden furniture buying guide to help explain the differences between different types of outdoor furniture, as well as h...
Upholstery buying guide
Upholstery buying guide that can help you buy the sofa that is right for you.