2023 Impact Report on Reusing and Recycling Office Furniture

Our initiatives in refurbishing and repurposing office furniture have delivered substantial environmental benefits in 2023. Through our services, we kept thousands of items in use and diverted hundreds of tonnes of material from landfill, underscoring the importance of circular economy practices in the corporate environment. This report breaks down the tangible impacts of our work, providing a clearer understanding of the environmental savings for stakeholders.

Key Achievements

• Items reused: 2,839
• Items recycled: 11,834
• Material recycled and diverted from landfill: over 549,000 kg
• Carbon saving from reuse and refurbishment: 321,214 kg CO2e

Carbon Savings from Reuse and Refurbishment

Carbon savings are reported only on reuse and refurbishment, where we extend the life of existing furniture and avoid the embodied carbon of new production. In line with Scope 3 reporting rules, recycling is reported as weight and items diverted from landfill, not as a carbon saving.

Reused items:

• Seating: 1,787 items; 128,664 kg CO2e saved
• Desks: 583 items; 20,405 kg CO2e saved
• Tables: 83 items; 2,905 kg CO2e saved
• Storage: 386 items; 19,300 kg CO2e saved

Refurbishment:

• Desks: 1,476 refurbished; 51,660 kg CO2e saved
• Chairs: 1,365 refurbished; 98,280 kg CO2e saved

Recycling and Material Breakdown

Items recycled, diverted from landfill:

• Office seating: 4,946 items
• Desks and tables: 3,283 items
• Storage units: 1,369 items
• Miscellaneous furniture: 2,236 items

Materials recovered and diverted from landfill:

• Metal: 167,000 kg
• Plastic: 115,000 kg
• Wood: 200,000 kg
• General waste: 30,000 kg
• POPs: 34,000 kg
• Cardboard: 3,160 kg

Understanding Carbon Savings: Making Sense of the Numbers

Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) is a measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential. To contextualise the 321,214 kg CO2e saved through reuse and refurbishment, this is comparable to the energy used to power about 55 homes for one year.

Why Recycling Still Matters

Recycling does not earn a carbon saving for the waste producer under Scope 3 reporting, but it remains a critical part of responsible end-of-life handling. Separating and recovering materials keeps them out of landfill and returns them to the supply chain:

• Steel recycling uses substantially less energy than producing steel from raw materials, and conserves iron ore, coal and limestone.
• Recycling plastics such as PP reduces emissions compared with virgin production.
• Refuse-derived fuel and biofuels from materials like melamine-faced chipboard can displace fossil fuel use and avoid methane emissions from landfill.

Conclusions

The work carried out in 2023 delivered considerable material reuse and landfill diversion. These activities reduce waste, conserve resources, and lower demand for virgin material production. Carbon savings are claimed only where they are genuinely earned, through reuse and refurbishment, while recycling is reported transparently as material diverted from landfill.

Our continuing commitment to reuse, refurbishment and responsible recycling shows the potential of sound business practice to make a real-world impact. The data in this report reflects that, and the importance of expanding these efforts across the corporate sector.