3 Companies Giving Office Furniture a New Life

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8 months ago

3 Companies Giving Office Furniture a New Life

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Steelcase

A pioneer in design for disassembly, Steelcase is taking the next step with its bold Circular by Steelcase program. This initiative aims to give products a second life and redefine sustainability in the workplace. Instead of conforming to industry norms, Steelcase is designing for longevity, repair, remanufacture, and recycling at every stage of a product’s life cycle. Through this program, worn or damaged chairs—from lines such as Gesture, Leap, and Amia—are disassembled, refurbished, and returned to clients with less than half the carbon emissions of a new product, plus a full 12-year warranty.

But this shift is more than operational—it’s a new way of collaborating with clients and industry partners. “Circular by Steelcase provides our customers with a range of solutions when it’s time for a change,” says Kaila Bryzgalski, product sustainability marketing manager. “Just like it extends the life of our products, Circular by Steelcase is helping us extend the life of our client interactions! It’s a way to find new value.”

The company’s commitment to circularity is also central to its path to net zero by 2050. “Designing for circularity is critical to our future success and an area to focus our innovation efforts right now,” adds Michael Held, vice president of global design. In a world where the carbon impact of repeated interior renovations can eclipse that of a building’s structure, Steelcase’s approach signals a necessary industry change—one that values reuse, recycling, remaking, and a future where furniture never becomes waste.

HÅG’s sustainability journey began in 1993 with the use of recycled materials and a focus on production impacts, which account for 90 percent of emissions. Today, the company’s 5-III principles—five circular design criteria and three focus areas—continue to guide its carbon reduction efforts. Courtesy Pernille Münster

the HAG CApsico chair in moss green with its back shaped like a plus and the seat shaped like a 3 sided plus for giving enhanced support. — HÅG’s sustainability journey began in 1993 with the use of recycled materials and a focus on production impacts, which account for 90 percent of emissions. Today, the company’s 5-III principles—five circular design criteria and three focus areas—continue to guide its carbon reduction efforts. Courtesy Pernille Münster

Flokk

Flokk, the parent company behind the renowned HÅG Capisco chair, has reimagined its design icon in a limited-edition collection made entirely from recycled materials. “By including recycled components in such an iconic product, we are signaling that sustainability and high performance can coexist,” says Henning Karlsrud, CEO of Flokk. “It sets a precedent for other product lines and reinforces our internal sustainability culture. This move also serves as concrete evidence that it is possible to facilitate the change from virgin to recycled materials in existing designs.”

This shift has also deepened Flokk’s relationships with supply chain partners, sparking new collaborations to develop new sourcing methods and enhance material traceability. By keeping production close to key markets and prioritizing local suppliers, Flokk is cutting transportation emissions while building resilience and transparency throughout its value chain. The result is a chair that’s as sustainable as it is iconic—and a business model that’s paving the way for a circular future.

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