The Furniture Makers’ Company, the City of London livery company and charity for the furnishing industry, hosted the next in a series of sustainability events, ‘Material Choices for more Sustainable Products’, on 4 March 2025 at Furniture Makers Hall.
The seminar, which was sponsored by the Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme, Ocee & Four Design, Panaz and SATRA, focussed on examining some of the established and widely used materials in the furniture and furnishing sector and considerations for greater sustainability.
Addressing the ‘sell out’ audience, Joanna Knight, chairman of the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee at The Furniture Makers’ Company, said: “Materials have, arguably, the greatest impact on a product’s environmental footprint and overall sustainability credentials so there are many factors that need to be considered. Carbon is one metric but there are numerous other issues. We must evaluate materials in terms of suitability, durability, circularity, supply chain traceability as well as impacts on water usage, food production, and natural ecosystems.”
“Product design also requires examination. Design for disassembly, for example, has a fundamental impact on future reuse and recyclability of component materials. There are no ‘quick wins’ or ‘silver bullets’, it is essential that all considerations are thoroughly investigated.”
Following the introductions, the morning included a series of presentations from leading industry players:
Julie Walker, from Vita Group, provided an overview about developments with foam. Whilst sometimes criticised as a synthetic material, Julie highlighted some of the significant benefits in terms of durability, tensile strength, practicality and affordability. The Company has also introduced some innovative developments in relation to recycled content, including polyols sourced from recycled post-consumer foam mattresses as well as plant-based polyol as an alternative to petrochemical-based feedstocks.
