The manufacture of office furniture requires the use of a variety of materials. The extraction of these materials leads to the depletion of resources and chemical pollution.
Moreover, transporting raw materials and finished products contributes to carbon emissions. This is referred to as the embodied carbon footprint.
Reduced Carbon Footprint
With the average office chair generating 72 kilos of CO2 during its manufacturing, replacing it repeatedly compounds those emissions into a vicious cycle. Buying used office furniture can help businesses reduce this impact by avoiding the production of more chairs.
When purchasing pre owned office chairs, it is essential to look for ones that are made of eco-friendly materials. This will ensure that the wood is sustainably sourced, has energy-efficient production processes, and prioritizes renewables over fossil fuel-based alternatives. This can reduce the overall carbon footprint of the chair by lowering the embodied CO2.
Additionally, choosing office furniture made from natural materials like wool, organic cotton, or linen can reduce air pollution and environmental damage in your business. These fabrics don’t release harmful chemicals into the environment and are usually dyed with less polluting pigments than synthetic fabric options. These types of office furniture can also be refurbished for added value and style, reducing the chair’s environmental footprint.
Reduced Waste
When businesses choose refurbished office chairs, they’re helping to reduce waste. This is because the vast majority of second-hand furniture ends up in landfill, which causes environmental damage. When offices purchase sustainable office furniture, they also message staff that the company cares about sustainability.
Using recycled office chairs is a great way to ensure that office furniture doesn’t end up in landfills and to help the environment by reducing carbon emissions. When buying eco-friendly desk chairs, you should look for a percentage of sustainable materials in the chair’s composition and choose brands that use recycled materials from sources like ocean-bound plastics.
Sustainable office chairs should have a low embodied carbon footprint and use wood from forests that are Forest Stewardship Council or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) accredited. These forests have low emissions and can store carbon over longer periods than other sources.
Less Harmful Chemicals
The production of office chairs often involves a range of materials damaging the environment. Whether they are wood from unregulated deforestation or non-biodegradable plastics, the extraction and manufacturing processes for these materials can hurt the environment.
Many of these materials also release harmful chemicals into the air during manufacturing, which can affect the health and well-being of workers in the long run. Harmful pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde can cause symptoms including headaches, fatigue, and nausea.
Choosing sustainable office furniture, such as Herman Miller’s Aeron chair, which is made from recycled ocean-bound plastic, can reduce the amount of harmful chemicals released into the atmosphere during the manufacturing process and into the workplace. This can help to improve indoor air quality and support a healthier working environment for everyone. This is particularly important as workers today are increasingly concerned about environmental issues such as climate change.
Better Health
When you choose pre-owned office chairs, you can help the environment and improve your health at the same time. Purchasing furniture that is made with eco-friendly materials reduces the amount of chemicals released into the air. This helps eliminate harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your workplace, which can cause symptoms including headaches and fatigue.
Sustainable furniture is also designed with disassembly in mind so it can be easily repaired and replaced when needed. This can extend the lifespan of your chair significantly, which will cut down on the demand for new ones.
Many small businesses can’t afford to purchase new ergonomic office chairs, but they can use refurbished ones to promote sustainability values and help the environment at the same time. This also allows these smaller companies to allocate their limited funds toward mission-related initiatives.
