Closing the Loop: How Office Furniture Can Drive the Circular Economy Forward
Ever thought about how your office furniture connects to sustainability? Probably not. But perhaps you should.
The
circular economy isn't some distant concept only relevant to manufacturing giants or packaging companies. It's a practical model that directly impacts how you furnish, update, and clear your office. At its heart, the
circular economy
challenges you to keep materials in use. It's your chance to reject the standard "buy, use, discard" approach that has dominated the industry for decades. It's your opportunity to turn office furniture from a recurring cost into a lasting asset.
At Coggin SOS, we partner with organisations like yours across the UK, helping you transition to a circular furnishing model:
refurbishing,
reusing, and responsibly
recycling your office furniture. Our mission is straightforward: help you make your furniture last longer, cost less, and waste nothing.
Explore our wide range of refurbished office furniture in
our inventory. You'll find quality, sustainability, and value, all waiting for you in one place.
What Is the Circular Economy And Why Does It Matter for Office Furniture?
The circular economy is a response to a linear system that no longer serves us. Traditionally, furniture was produced, used, and discarded- a process that consumed raw materials, generated carbon emissions, and sent millions of usable items to landfill every year.
In contrast, circular thinking is built on a few key principles:
- Keep products and materials in use as long as possible
- Design out waste and pollution from the beginning
- Regenerate natural systems through better resource decisions
For your office, this means choosing furniture that’s made to last, can be easily
refurbished, is made from recyclable materials, and is supported by a system that ensures it stays in use rather than heading to landfill.
Did you know that businesses in the UK dispose of approximately
1.2 million
office desks and
1.8 million office chairs each year (source)? And a lot of those pieces are still in perfectly usable condition.
At Coggin SOS, we help businesses like yours transition to a circular model. We recover, refurbish, and rehome premium office furniture from
top brands, helping you reduce waste and keep valuable assets in use - all while lowering costs and hitting your ESG targets.
Need help disposing of your old office furniture? Learn about our recycling service
here
and
contact us
for a free evaluation.
What You're Missing About Office Furniture Waste
To understand the importance of circular office solutions, we need to consider the hidden lifecycle cost of conventional office fit-outs.
Your furniture choices carry what sustainability experts call
"embodied carbon", all those emissions generated during production, from extracting raw materials to manufacturing and delivering to your doorstep. For example:
- Standard task chair: ~80 kg CO2e
- Workstation (desk + chair): ~117 kg CO2e
- Conference table: ~150–160 kg CO2e
- Metal storage cabinet: ~45–50 kg CO2e
When you're refreshing an office with 100 workstations, you're potentially responsible for over 11,000 kg of carbon emissions, equivalent to driving a petrol car more than 30,000 miles!
Choosing refurbished or remanufactured furniture from a circular source can reduce these emissions by
45% to
80%, depending on the item. That’s a huge difference, and one that many businesses are starting to measure as part of their
net-zero strategies.
To find out more, read our latest article
“How Refurbishing Office Furniture Can Help You Achieve Your Net-Zero Goals in 2025”
At Coggin SOS, we don't just tell you about these benefits, we show you. With each furniture order, you'll receive an exclusive Savings Certificate, allowing you to precisely measure how your furniture choices contribute to your ESG targets and regulatory compliance.
The Materials Behind the Circular Economy Movement
Have you ever thought about what's actually inside your office furniture? Understanding the materials in your office essentials is key to appreciating how your furniture choices can drive the circular economy forward.
- Wooden desktops and panels can be remanufactured into new furniture or used for biomass energy, keeping them out of landfill and within the production loop.
- Metals like aluminium and steel are among the most recyclable materials on Earth, requiring up to 95% less energy to recycle than to produce new.
- Plastic components in office chairs, such as armrests, wheel bases, and gas lifts, can often be reclaimed and used in manufacturing second-generation items.
- Textiles from office seating and panels are increasingly repurposed into acoustic panels, recycled yarns, or sustainable insulation materials.
What makes all this possible is design intelligence, furniture created with disassembly, material recovery, and reusability in mind. That’s why at Coggin SOS, we focus on refurbishing brands that are engineered for circularity from the start:
Herman Miller,
Steelcase,
Vitra,
Orangebox, and others whose products are built to last, adapt, and be reused.
Click here to browse through our inventory of premium office furniture brands.
Building for Longevity: The Role of Design
Circular office furniture isn’t just about recycling at the end, it’s about designing smarter from the beginning.
Leading manufacturers are creating modular systems that evolve with your needs. Instead of tearing out and replacing entire workstations, modular components allow you to reconfigure, expand, or modernise without starting over.
Timeless aesthetics also play a role. Classic design avoids the churn caused by chasing trends, and saves both money and resources over time. Combine that with repairable construction and easy-access components, and you’ve got furniture that supports a
15-20
year lifecycle.
We see this daily at Coggin SOS. Our in-house technicians restore premium furniture to near-new condition: swapping worn arms, replacing fabrics, respraying frames, resizing desks to fit your space perfectly, and reupholstering seating in your brand colours. These customisations mean you can access top-tier quality at a fraction of the cost and with a significantly lower carbon impact.
Not sure if refurbished office furniture is right for you?
Read this
article to learn more.
From Waste to Asset: Your Role in the Circular Economy
The truth is, circularity doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with intentional choices, whether you’re sourcing new furniture for a client, managing an office move, or looking to extend the life of what you already have.
Here’s what that can look like:
- Auditing your existing inventory to identify items with reuse potential
- Incorporating circular standards into your procurement policy
- Choosing suppliers with end-to-end sustainability expertise
- Measuring and communicating the environmental benefits of reuse
Whether you're refitting a new office or clearing out an old one, you don’t have to wait weeks or go over your budget. At Coggin SOS, we offer tailored circular furniture strategies, from on-site assessments to sustainable clearance services at lower costs, hassle-free and with a 10-day turnaround. Sounds like something you’re looking for?
Get in touch with us today for a no-obligation chat and let’s take a look at your options.
Ready to Explore What Circular Could Look Like?
Circularity isn’t a switch you flip, it’s a mindset you build into every decision. And it can start with your very next chair, desk, or meeting room table.
Want to understand your reuse and refurbishment options?
Need help planning a low-carbon and cost-effective office move?
Looking to blend refurbished pieces with your existing setup?
Don't hesitate to get in touch.
Contact our Coggin SOS team today for a tailored consultation.
