How Facilities Services Can Contribute to a Circular Economy with Furniture Recycling

Ida Gorecka • February 11, 2025

Our approach to furnishing workspaces is changing as part of a collective effort to reverse the projected 70% increase in global waste by 2050 .

Design trends are constantly changing, and as companies race to keep up it can be challenging to keep up with the newest trends in office furniture. However, this constant cycle results in millions of office furniture pieces getting unnecessarily discarded every year when, with the right expertise, they could be repurposed, reused, or recycled.

What can we do to reverse this trend? Facility Managers must help to embed circular economy thought processes into procurement and disposal strategies, across the entire supply chain. While recycling paper and reducing energy consumption are common strategies, one area that is often overlooked as a source of sustainable credentials is office furniture.

By embracing furniture recycling and refurbishment, facility managers can make smarter, more sustainable choices that help reduce waste, cut costs, and ensure premium-quality office designs, often without the lengthy lead times that accompany new furniture purchases.

If you haven’t considered refurbished furniture before, you are in the right place to discover why they should be your obvious choice for your next project. But even if you have considered it, keep reading for valuable insights into how refurbished furniture can improve sustainability initiatives, maximise cost savings, and support long-term business goals.

Extending Furniture Lifecycles = Less Waste, More Impact

Traditional office furniture procurement follows a linear model: buy new, use, then dispose. This cycle results in millions of office furniture heading to landfill each year... Many of which are still in excellent condition!

The statistics are mind-blowing:

3 billion people worldwide lack access to proper waste services, contributing to uncontrolled waste disposal.
In the G7, extending product lifespans, like office furniture, could save 525 million tonnes of carbon annually.
Global waste will reach 3.9 billion tonnes by 2050, making proactive waste management urgent.

(Source)

High-end office furniture is made to last decades, and with expert refurbishment, these pieces can be restored to like-new condition and be ready to serve new workplaces over and over.

Cost-Effective Without Compromising on Quality

A common misconception is that refurbished furniture means lower quality. The reality? You get premium quality office furniture at a fraction of the cost.

Save up to 80% compared to buying new
Maintain high design standards with premium brand options
Benefit from a 12-month guarantee for total peace of mind

Refurbished furniture is a smart financial choice for businesses looking to maximise value while maintaining high quality without downsides! Just think of it as a budget-friendly way to stand out and make a positive impact.

See our current inventory of premium brands.

Faster Delivery = No Project Delays

Long lead times on new furniture create major headaches for facility managers trying to meet deadlines. With supply chain disruptions and manufacturing delays, standard furniture orders can take 8–12 weeks (or longer) to arrive.

With refurbished furniture, that problem disappears! At Coggin SOS, we can deliver within 10 days, making sure facility services keep projects moving on schedule without waiting months for furniture to arrive.

Discover all our services.

Certified Sustainability

Businesses today need hard evidence of their environmental impact.

That’s why every piece of refurbished furniture at Coggin SOS comes with a Savings Certificate, providing measurable data on:

✔ Carbon savings compared to buying new.

✔ Items diverted from landfill

✔ Financial savings that support budget goals

To get a better understanding, dive into the environmental impact of specific furniture.

For facility service providers, this means tangible proof to present to clients and stakeholders, demonstrating ESG compliance and aligning with sustainability goals.

Do you want to know how a client saved £76,950 compared to buying new (based on £335 per new chair). Click here.

Supporting a Circular Economy = Doing More with Less

Refurbished furniture integrates sustainability into procurement at every stage. Facilities teams that adopt furniture recycling and refurbishment support a circular economy by reusing resources, reducing waste, and lowering environmental impact.

To maximise impact, at Coggin SOS, we make it super-easy for facility services to replace unwanted furniture with high-quality refurbished alternatives. Rather than sending old office furniture to landfills, we'll collect it from you, creating space for your new setup. Simply choose from our refurbished selection of trusted, established brands, and we'll restore what’s usable, recycle what isn’t, and help you upgrade to a sustainable, cost-effective workspace.

To sum up, the refurbished furniture we provide is a low-cost (but HIGH-quality) choice that helps reduce furniture waste piling up in landfills. It contributes to a more sustainable lifecycle by extending the lifespan of high-quality furniture and ensuring that materials are recycled when they can no longer be reused or repurposed.

Imagine achieving a brand-new office design while spending less, earning sustainability certifications, and ensuring ESG compliance. Who wouldn't like that?!

Contact us today, and we promise that you’ll help businesses achieve, at the very least, efficient, stylish, and eco-friendly workplaces with high-quality, premium branded furniture.

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Why Buying Cheap Costs More: The Long-Term Value of Quality Refurbished Furniture

By Ida Gorecka • July 30, 2025

You’re in the middle of planning an office space. Budgets are tight. Lead times are short. It’s tempting to type “cheap office chairs” into your browser and find something that fits the spreadsheet. But here’s the problem: cheap furniture is rarely cheap in the long run . The market is saturated with budget desks, chairs, and storage that look good online, but fall apart in practice. And when they do, they cost more - more to replace, more to dispose of, more to fix (if that’s even possible), and more in lost time and productivity. It’s a vicious cycle that undermines your budget, timeline, and any potential ESG goals. According to WRAP , the UK disposes of over 200,000 tonnes of office furniture every year - much of it barely used. When furniture fails quickly, so does your investment. In a commercial setting, that failure shows up in missed deadlines, spiralling budgets, and sustainability goals slipping out of reach. So before you hit "order" on another bulk buy of flat-packed furniture, take a moment. In this article, you'll learn the hidden costs of cheap office furniture and why refurbished premium office furniture is the smarter alternative. If you're looking to reduce hassle, save money, and build a workspace that actually lasts, keep on reading. Need help getting started? Get in touch with our team for advice, audits, or to browse our refurbished stock .

Refurbished Office Furniture Saves Overbury Over £2000 on Site Setup Costs

By Ida Gorecka • July 18, 2025

Anyone who's worked in construction knows that site setup costs can quickly spiral. For Overbury , one of the UK's leading fit-out and refurbishment specialists, managing these costs while maintaining professional standards is a constant balancing act. When setting up their latest construction site office, they faced a challenge familiar to many in the industry: creating a functional workspace quickly and cost-effectively. After seeing what we achieved together on their previous project, Overbury approached us with clear priorities - they needed a professional office setup delivered on a construction timeline. With tight deadlines to meet and costs to manage, they needed their office space ready quickly while avoiding the expense and environmental impact of buying new office furniture. Like many construction projects, this one came with complex requirements - specific layouts, tight timelines, and budget constraints - yet Overbury knew from experience that refurbished office furniture could deliver exactly what they needed.

From Purchase to Repurpose: How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Office Furniture

By Ida Gorecka • July 16, 2025

If you're managing an office move, refit, or hybrid transition, you've likely faced this question: do we buy new furniture, or make use of what we have? Every year, over 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million office chairs are sent to landfill in the UK- enough to fill Wembley Stadium twice. ( Source: WRAP ) With Landfill Tax raised to £126.15 per tonne in April 2025 (S ource: UK Government ), the cost of disposing office furniture is increasing fast. If you’re trying to balance budgets , meet ESG goals , and minimise downtime , choosing refurbishment over replacement could be the most strategic decision you make this year. In this guide, we’ll show you how to get more from what you already own. Saving thousands, supporting your ESG goals, and creating a more flexible, future-proof workspace. Got a project coming up? Get in touch and we’ll help you explore your refurbishment options.