The focus is on promoting furniture with a long useful life, modular construction, and the use of non-toxic, recyclable materials. Recycling furniture is often difficult due to the use of different materials and adhesives.
It is recommended to use second-hand furniture and to plan requirements carefully in order to avoid unnecessary new purchases.
Important criteria for procurement:
Health: use of pollutant-free materials, e.g. no emission of formaldehyde.
Environment: Promote durable, repairable and recyclable furniture. Use of FSC-certified wood, avoidance of tropical woods.
Social: Ensure fair working conditions and safety standards in production.
Recommendations for procurement:
Before procurement: check used furniture, determine requirements, take political and legal framework conditions into account.
Product selection: Pay attention to modularity, quality of materials, pollutant-free and environmentally friendly products.
Service and repair: Use of service offers for repair and maintenance, ensure long-term availability of spare parts.
Packaging: Minimize packaging materials, demand return and recycling by suppliers.
Recommended certificates and labels:
Environmental labels: Blue Angel, EU Ecolabel, FSC, PEFC, Cradle to Cradle.
Health labels: OEKO-TEX for textiles free of harmful substances.
Promotion of the circular economy:
Use of recycled materials, take-back obligations by the supplier, second-life concepts for furniture.
Support options through Bruno Wickart:
Advice on sustainable procurement:
Support in the selection of sustainable furniture products that meet public procurement requirements.
Advice on durable and modular furniture that enables long-term use and easy repair.
Provision of used and refurbished furniture:
Offering high-quality used furniture and refurbished products to reduce the need for new purchases.
Establishing an internal marketplace or platform for the exchange of used furniture between different public institutions.
Comprehensive product information and transparency:
Provision of detailed information on the materials used, their origin and recycling options.
Ensure certificates and labels for the furniture on offer and communicate them transparently.
Offer services:
Maintenance contracts, repair services and spare parts supply for an extended service life of the furniture.
Support the implementation of second-life concepts and take-back obligations for disused furniture.
