PRESS RELEASE Ecodesign for sustainable products: European furniture industry ready to engage in the journey of making sustainable products the norm

Brussels 28 June 2024: European Furniture Industries Confederation (EFIC) welcomes the publication of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) in the Official Journal of the EU and looks forward to a continuous dialogue with policymakers in developing ecodesign rules for furniture, which is prioritised in the ESPR for first action.

Furniture manufacturers embrace sustainability and the opportunities that a more circular economy will bring, including new products in line with lifestyle changes and sustainability trends, as well as new business models. The furniture industry is a labour-intensive and dynamic sector dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro firms. The sector is part of a complex value chain, with a broad range of designs, products and materials used and a diverse market.

Gabriella Kemendi, EFIC Secretary General, said:

’We look forward to a continuous collaboration with policymakers in developing ecodesign rules for furniture and to providing sector-specific expertise. Considering the size of the companies in our sector, the many different materials used and the broad range of designs and products, the delegated act will need to allow for a diversity of relevant requirements. Imported products should abide by the same rules and market surveillance should be strenghtened.

Edi Snaidero, EFIC President, said:

’The circular economy can indeed bring new opportunities if the requirements are appropriate and feasible - preserving the creativity of the furniture industry - and if companies are given enough time to adapt.’

Harmonised rules at EU level are key and standardisation should be their backbone. Standardisation committee CEN TC 207 'Furniture' and its WG 10 (Requirements and tools for furniture circularity) are in the process of developing several standards on ESPR aspects. A standard on dis/reassembly (EN 17902) has been published and work is ongoing on other aspects such as repairability, refurbishment, remanufacturing. These standards represent early efforts from the furniture industry to accompany the policy objectives of the ESPR. We believe that this work should be used as a basis or considered in parallel for the development of a delegated act for furniture.

While the ESPR can drive a circular economy forward, it focuses on products. Hence, a holistic approach is recommended and a combination of tools allowing scalability of solutions to fully close the loop and enable a real transition to the circular economy in the furniture sector. See all our recommendations in the EFIC Manifesto 2024-2029.

EFIC is the European Furniture Industries Confederation, representing over 70% of the total turnover of the European Furniture Industries, a sector employing 1 million people in about 120.000 enterprises across the EU and generating a turnover of over 100 billion Euros. The EFIC membership is composed of 18 national associations, one individual company member and several clusters. https://www.efic.eu/

Press contact: Gabriella Kemendi, EFIC Secretary General | 0032 (0)2 270 85 46|Mail: info@efic.eu