Standards for sustainable office furniture drafted

New standards for sustainable practices among manufacturers of office furniture have been drafted for peer review by the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC), it has emerged.

Included in guidelines is the stipulation that furniture manufacturers make a public statement of support for sustainable practices, as well as creating an action plan with targets related to energy efficiency and management of materials, Furniture Today reports.

Companies which join the SFC, including those making office furniture, are able to earn silver, gold and platinum status by applying varying levels of criteria to their practices.

As part of the draft application questionnaire, firms are asked to declare whether they have a supplier code of conduct, list materials they consider eco-friendly and explain what prompted their interest in sustainability.

Recently, Business Furnishings owner Mark Macheca spoke about the growth of green office furniture in recent years, saying that "50 per cent or more" of the firm’s projects involve environmentally-aware customers.

And office furniture is not the only area which has been revealing a more environmental focus lately; last month, Greenpeace praised the electronics industry for raising its standards regarding green office equipment.

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