A second life for used office furniture: Investigating the potential of a brokerage service for second-hand furniture
Research description: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.
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.
This survey should take about five minutes to complete. Thank you for your time.
Please take part in the survey here https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90430340/Second-Life-furniture-procurement
Disclaimer:
The purpose of this survey is to support a scoping study that investigates the feasibility of promoting second-life furniture procurement. The study is being conducted by Ricardo Energy & Environment, on behalf of not-for-profit partner funding organisations to understand what barriers to adoption industry may face in introducing second-life furniture procurement. This survey is anonymous and does not require respondents to provide any personal or sensitive information. The information collected from the survey will be used to inform the scoping study Ricardo Energy & Environment are delivering. A summary of the findings may be disclosed to partner organisations upon request.
Resources:
Benefits of resuse office furniture (WRAP, 2011), 4-5.
Circular Economy Opportunities for the Furniture sector (EEB, 2017), 12.
Zero Waste Scotland
Helping Scotland create a more #CircularEconomy & realise the economic, environmental & social benefits of using resources sustainably. #ScotGov & #ESIF funded.
