With so much focus on sustainability and recyclability, often items are labelled as sustainable but when we drive down into the detail there is sometimes very little to show for it. Packaging is labelled in a variety of labels, to show whether it is able to be recyled.
RECYCLED OR SUSTAINABLE
Care needs to be taken when using these words as they have very different meanings to each other.
A Recycled product means it has been made from waste materials. It means it hasnt been manufactured using new raw materials and it has kept the waste out of the enviroment. However care needs to be taken as recycled plastic may contain higher levels of chemicals which could be hazardous to human health. In the UK the top 3 recycled products are paper, plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Glass is the only material that is 100% recyclable, and can be recycled time after time without any loss in quality.
A Sustainable product means it has been manufactured in a responsible way, ie. it doesnt result in harm or damage to the environment or individuals. For this to be true a product has to be produced from renewable rescources, so that the raw ingredient can't be depleted. A well known example of this would be replanting trees for each one used. There are very few manufactureing processes that have no impact on the enviroment, but this damage should be kept to a minimum, using as little energy as possible and responsibly disposing of waste. Lastly the product should be made in a responible way socially - a socially responsible business would be one that practices fair and equal hiring and would make sure it is not associated in any way with forced or child labour. This is especially important for business who are importing from other countries.
RECYCLED OFFICE FURNITURE
Perhaps the most obvious and simplest form of recycled office furniture is to buy used furniture. There are many companies selling used office furniture that is in very good condition and still modern. This is a win win all round as you are saving on waste, recycling costs and ultimately the cost to you should be less.
There are new office furniture lines that are made entirly from recycled products:
WHALE TABLE
The unique Whale Table is a boadroom table that is made entirely from recycled materials, pleae see the video below which shows an amazing journey,
This beautiful table is availabe as an 8 seater or a 12 seater .
FELT TUB CHAIR
This unique tub chair uses felt made from reycled plastic bottles and is part of the Plastic Whale Collection whose mission is to have plasitc free waters. The tub chair is available in 8 different felt colours, with a wide range of seat colours. The seat pad is made from 100% recycled polyester.
This trendy tub chair also has a choice of a canitlever leg, a beech splay leg or a skid frame.
SUSTAINABLE OFFICE FURNITURE
Many companies claim to offer sustainiblity and this cant be doubted. There are numerous accreditations that businesses can apply for such as the SEA and SEP certification , and the B Corp certification. Businesses can ensure their employees are enrolled on a Cycle or walk to work scheme and anyone commuting over a certain distance is using an electric car.
Numerous office chairs such as the SPYNAMICS Ergonomic Back Care Chair use fabrics that are made from 100% recycled polyester, this is available in a wide range of colours and is strong and good quality.
Our wide range of HEIGHT ADJUSTABLE DESKS have frames that are made from European steel and have a 25% recycled content, and all wood based products that are sourced responsibly from FSC forests.
The FSC is The Forest Stewardship Council and ensures dedicated responsible management of the worlds forests.
Most companies would be careful in using sustainable packaging , checking their carbon footprint and making sure their suppliers are ethical and using sustainable products.
However the HEMP chair is completely unique in that it is a 100% biological chair, 100% plant-based and 100% recycable. Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants on the earth, in addition it is super strong and absorbs CO2. This results in a negative CO2 footprint for the production of the chair. The advantages of Hemp are that it grows without artificial fertilizer or pesticides and hardly requires any water. The residual waste of fibres from Hemp processing is used as raw material to make the seat shell of the chair.
