Zero Waste Scotland - Circular Office Furniture Survey

18 Feb 2022

Across the EU, 10 million tonnes of furniture (or 80-90% of all products sold) end up in landfill or is incinerated every year. In the UK alone, this includes 1.8m office chairs and 1.2 million desks that are sent to be broken down for recycling, landfill or incineration. (EEB 2017; WRAP 2011).

Zero Waste Scotland and Ricardo Energy & Environment are working together to research the furniture procurement and disposal habits of businesses to map the potential for more circular alternatives and have created a five minute survey.

In particular, we would like to explore the challenges facing the reuse of office furniture and whether there is appetite for a brokerage system that connects companies wishing to buy furniture for new fit outs, with companies wishing to dispose of their "used" assets.

The ambition is to become more proactive in driving greater levels of direct reuse of furniture and other assets as a first option, with a long-term view to prevent materials being sent to landfill.