Finding the Balance: Quality Seating Without the Environmental Cost
Did you know that the average office worker spends around 1,700 hours a year sitting in their chair? That's a staggering 70% of your working life spent in a single piece of furniture. Yet many organisations overlook the importance of quality seating, either settling for cheap chairs that quickly deteriorate or spending a fortune on brand new premium options.
Refurbished office chairs offer the perfect balance of
comfort,
quality, and
sustainability that today's offices need. At Coggin SOS, we've helped hundreds of organisations discover that you don't need to
compromise on quality to make environmentally conscious choices. In fact, opting for refurbished office chairs can provide high-quality seating at up to
80% less than the cost of buying new.
In this article, we’ll explore why refurbished office chairs aren’t just a good option-they're often the smarter one. From environmental impact that can tick off your ESG targets to ergonomic design and cost savings, this is your guide to finding the perfect seat.
Our warehouse is stocked with top-brand refurbished chairs - ready to deliver in days, not weeks.
Get in touch
to check availability.
What Is a Refurbished Office Chair?
Let’s start with the basics. A refurbished office chair is not just a used chair with a quick clean or a cosmetic fix. It’s a pre-owned seating product that has been carefully and professionally restored to meet high standards of comfort, functionality, safety, and appearance. The aim isn’t to hide wear and tear, but to extend the lifespan of the product by years.
What sets
refurbishment apart from basic second-hand sales is the depth of the restoration process. At Coggin SOS, our team applies a methodical, workshop-grade approach to ensure every refurbished chair is as good as, if not better than, when it was new.
At Coggin SOS, our refurbishment process is designed with your comfort in mind:
- Full disassembly and inspection to catch and fix any hidden faults
- Replacement or repair of key mechanical parts like gas lifts, castors, and armrests
- Reupholstery using durable, sustainable fabrics in colours to suit your space
- Rigorous quality control and safety testing, so you can sit with confidence
Wondering if refurbishing your office chair is worth the effort? Go to
this article.
Why Choose Refurbished Office Chairs?
1. Great Value for Money
When it comes to office furniture, especially chairs designed for ergonomic support and long hours of comfort, the investment can be substantial. The high price tag of brand-new, top-quality office chairs often makes organisations hesitate, but what if you could enjoy the same ergonomic benefits and build quality for 50-80% less than the cost of new?
Refurbished office chairs provide an exceptional, cost-effective alternative without compromising on quality or comfort. In fact, many of the chairs we refurbish at Coggin SOS originally come from some of the most renowned brands in the industry, including
Herman Miller,
Steelcase, and
Orangebox. These brands are known for their ergonomics and durability, meaning that when we refurbish a chair, we restore it to the high standards you’d expect from top-tier office furniture, while passing on the savings to you.
Thinking about a full office fit-out or just a few chairs?
Contact us today
for a tailored refurbished seating plan that fits your budget and aligns with your company’s ESG goals.
2. Built to Last-Again
There’s a common myth that “used” means “worn-out,” but that’s simply not the case with refurbished office chairs. The truth is, many office chairs are designed to last a decade or more, but organisations often replace them early due to minor cosmetic issues or slight wear and tear.
Our refurbishment process focuses on restoring both function and aesthetics, giving these chairs a second life. We use commercial-grade components, high-resilience foam, and durable fabrics that are specifically designed to withstand high-traffic environments. This ensures that your refurbished chair not only looks and feels new but is also built for long-term daily use.
In fact, many of our clients are so impressed with the quality of our work, they say they can’t tell the difference between a refurbished and brand-new chair.
Refurbished doesn’t mean “second-rate”.
Here’s why.
3. A Sustainable Choice
We live in a world overflowing with waste, and office furniture is no exception. Did you know that 1.8 million office chairs are sent to landfills in the UK every year?
By choosing
refurbished
office chairs, you’re not just saving money, you’re also making sure that valuable resources are kept in circulation. Here’s how:
- Diverting waste from landfills
- Reducing carbon emissions
- Supporting a circular economy
- Conserving valuable materials like steel, plastic, and foam
According to
WRAP UK, if we reused just 295,000 office chairs annually, we could prevent 12,000 tonnes of COâ‚‚ emissions. That’s the same as taking more than 2,500 cars off the road.
Want to learn more about the circular economy and your role in it? Visit ourLearning Centre
- packed with videos, downloads, and interactive tools to get you started.
4. Custom Looks, Personal Fit
When it comes to refurbished office chairs, you’re not limited to basic black or dull corporate grey. At Coggin SOS, we believe your office furniture should reflect your unique brand and culture. That's why we offer a wide variety of fabrics and desk tape colours to match your office’s design, whether you’re creating a bold, creative space or a tranquil, wellness-focused environment.
Find out more about how we customise second-hand refurbished office furniture in
this article.
Need a specific look? No problem. Our workshop has the capability to match virtually any specification, ensuring each chair is tailored to your exact needs.
Get in touch
to book your order today.
5. Backed by Experts, Trusted by Businesses
Refurbishing office chairs isn’t a simple DIY task, it requires expertise, precision, and a deep understanding of quality standards. At Coggin SOS, we bring over 20 years of experience in the industry, working with a wide range of clients, including public sector organisations, SMEs, charities, and global corporations.
Our refurbishment process involves rigorous testing to ensure functionality, durability, and health & safety compliance. So when you choose a refurbished office chair, you’re not just
saving on costs, you’re also gaining peace of mind, knowing that the chair you receive will be up to the highest standards.
Case in Point: Large-Scale Refurbishment with Restore Harrow Green
When a major financial institution needed to refresh 285 Steelcase Reply chairs,
Restore Harrow Green
partnered with Coggin SOS to deliver a sustainable, high-quality solution. Instead of replacing the chairs, we refurbished them to as-new condition-preventing over
13,000 kg of COâ‚‚e emissions and saving the client nearly
£77,000
compared to buying new.
The result? Premium, like-new seating that met the rigorous demands of one of the UK’s top financial institutions-proving that sustainable choices don’t require compromise.
This project showcases how our technical expertise, combined with a commitment to the circular economy, is helping organisations redefine quality, reduce waste, and achieve measurable ESG impact.
Want to see what premium refurbished seating is available now? Check our current stock
here.
The Circular Economy: Why Office Furniture Is a Key Player
When you choose refurbished office chairs, you’re contributing to a much larger, positive environmental impact. This is where the circular economy comes in, a system that contrasts sharply with traditional linear consumption models.
In a
linear economy, the process typically follows the "make, use, dispose" model. This means products, like office furniture, are created, used for a short period, and then discarded as waste, contributing to growing landfills
and the depletion of natural resources. In contrast, a
circular economy
focuses on keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible, reducing waste and conserving resources.
So, how does this work in practice for office furniture?
Chairs aren’t discarded - they are refurbished, reused, and re-homed. By reusing and restoring office chairs instead of sending them to landfills, we keep them in service for years longer than they would otherwise last.
Materials are separated and recycled responsibly. When a chair finally reaches the end of its life, it’s taken apart, and components like metal, plastic, and fabric are separated to be recycled and repurposed. This minimises waste and helps reduce the need for new materials.
Demand for virgin resources decreases. By choosing refurbished furniture, we decrease the demand for new materials, protecting forests, reducing the need for mining, and ultimately cutting down on carbon emissions. A reduced reliance on raw materials leads to a more sustainable production process that is far gentler on the planet.
Want to find out how your organisation can support the circular economy and save money doing it?
Get in touch
with our team to start a conversation about sustainable office solutions tailored to you.
Beyond the Chair: Your Next Business Decision
When you stand up from reading this, take a moment to look at your office chairs. Each one represents a choice you've already made, and an opportunity that awaits. By choosing refurbished office chairs, you're not merely selecting furniture - you're making a deliberate statement about how you run your organisation.
You recognise that premium quality doesn't require premium pricing. You understand that sustainability is a practical business advantage. And you see that the 1,700 hours your team spends sitting each year deserve thoughtful consideration. Your office environment shapes your company culture, affects your team's wellbeing, and influences your operational costs - three factors too important to leave to chance.
Want to transform how your business sits, works, and thinks?
Contact our team
at Coggin SOS today.
