Circular economy in the Danish furniture sector

A recently published report from the CE Hub related to the Lifestyle and Design Cluster network looks into the status of Danish furniture companies’ efforts on circular economy. Some highlights based on the included survey (sample of 55 companies answering) show that:

– during the last 2 years, 62% of the companies have made an effort to reduce waste

– 44% of the companies include maintenance as a service in their business model

– 22% have a take back system

– 40% include some kind of recycled materials in their products

– 56% of the companies design for recycling

The report thus concludes, that quite a few Danish furniture producers already work with some circularity principles, even if they don’t call it circular economy. The willingness and motivation to test new methods and circular approaches is high, but the companies still lack knowledge on how to manage the transition towards circularity. Another barrier is the large amount of resources needed to restructure the whole design and production process. Extended and profound cooperation and partnership are assessed as an important way forward.

The report (in Danish) also includes case stories from companies within the furniture sector. Some showing aspects of the journey from linear to circular, others showing how new businesses emerge from circular thinking.