UK: Office furniture project reports success -

Most people in offices do not give much thought to where the ubiquitous desk and chair came from, and probably less to its final disposal. The fact is that approximately 165,000 tonnes of office furniture is thrown away yearly from British businesses. Some of this will be the result ofwear and tear, but the majority is in perfect  working order and its disposal is largely due to changes in fashion, variations in staff levels, or whole office moves. The Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse estimates that over 50% of office furniture sent to landfill each year is reuseable. Clearly this is a waste of both resources and money. To reduce the impact of waste office furniture, CRR set up a year long collaborative project to identify and address some of the problems associated with reusing office furniture. The strategy was to look at all levels of the industry – engaging manufacturers, third-party reusers, the charitable sector and procurers. By addressing problems throughout the industry, we hope to begin the move to a more sustainable future. Further details of the project along with a downloadable copy of the report can be found on the website of the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse (CRR) at www.remanufacturing.org.uk/furniture