7 Ways To Develop a Sustainable Office Furniture Strategy

Offices are changing in shape, size and purpose as companies adapt to the new demands of hybrid working. Here are 7 ideas for ensuring your plans for a new workplace are as agile, cost-effective and sustainable as they need to be in 2025.

How are workplaces changing in 2025?

2025 is set to continue the trends of real-estate right-sizing - with a particular focus on design innovation and furniture choices driven by a new set of demands.

• Office footprints are shrinking

• Budgets are tightening

• Workplace usage patterns are changing

• Furniture needs are becoming more specialised

In this environment, many businesses are looking to dispose of surplus furniture and furnish new spaces to accommodate a more nomadic workforce. But new furniture can be expensive and sustainability is a key concern.

New furniture is expensive - traditional disposal is wasteful

Disposal costs of unwanted assets are rising. ESG pressures to minimise landfill and lower carbon footprint are growing. And no wonder, as the figures around waste continue to be mind-boggling:

• 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million office chairs end up in UK landfills each year 
• 80-90% of all used office furniture in the EU ends up at the dump

Ensure your next step is into the circular economy

Businesses looking to maximise value from their new furniture purchases while limiting their environmental impact should prioritise planning future maintenance and recycling strategies. As the workplace's needs continue to evolve, you’ll need as much flexibility built into your plans as possible.

7 bright ideas for how to handle and upgrade unwanted furniture

1. Inventorise and assess your existing furniture

If you’re redesigning your space or moving to new offices, conduct a thorough audit of your current furniture inventory to determine which items can be reused, refurbished, or recycled. This helps minimise waste while identifying opportunities to extend the life of your assets.

2. Refurbish or repurpose

Reuse furniture by cleaning, repairing, or reupholstering it for continued use in your office.

Refurbishment can transform tired furniture into like-new assets at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

Alternatively, you can reimagine your old furniture entirely and give it a new purpose in your office as your needs change. 

Banking on Sustainability: One of our banking clients, adapting to post-pandemic office needs, repurposed 626 workstations through resizing and reassembly, saving 60% of new purchase costs and cutting their carbon footprint by over 50%. 

But the sources for your repurposing don't have to be restricted to furniture.

York House Glass Transformation: In the redesign of British Land’s York House HQ, Feix&Merlin Architects recycled large glass sculptures into resilica, a sustainable material made from recycled glass and resin, repurposing them as desks and surfaces to create functional, eco-friendly design elements while reducing waste.

Source: British Land’s York House HQ, Feix and Merlin

These initiatives can make brilliant sustainability stories to share with and inspire your customers and workers.

3. Explore resale and donation programs

Why not partner with organisations like IE to sell or donate office furniture in good condition? This keeps usable items out of landfill, supports your sustainability goals while creating revenue for your company. They can also offer donation opportunities for charities.

4. Ensure design for circularity in new purchases

If you’re trading in old furniture or making new purchases, make sure to choose furniture that is modular and repairable. Look for options that are made, as much as possible, from recyclable materials.  

Orangebox's remanufacturing promise is a key sustainability initiative in office furniture that you can take advantage of. Through their "Orangebox Remade" program, they extend product life by 4-6 years, designing items like the Ara Task Chair for easy disassembly and reassembly. Remanufactured products are restored to "good as new" condition with matching warranties. This approach significantly reduces material and resource intensity, supports local partnerships, and aligns with circular economy principles. 

Source: Ara Task Chair by OrangeBox

5. Ensure effective recycling

In 2025, there’s no need for any furniture to end its life in landfill. Choose a clearance partner who can help you ethically dispose of end-of-life furniture with a zero land-fill promise.

Recycling should involve stripping all furniture back to component parts - reusing elements where appropriate - and finding innovative recycling options for others. The rest can be used for waste for energy schemes or recycled to make new equipment like the Steelcase Think Chair.

Don’t forget, those aiming to achieve environmental building certifications will need to take extra care around their disposal process as those assessments can often include criteria around furniture recycling. 

For example, SKA specifies that at least 80% of all removed chairs must be re-used either on or off-site or recycled through a closed loop scheme (e.g. manufacturers take back scheme). The remaining 20% must be diverted from landfill.

6. Store surplus furniture for future use

The jury is still out as to whether downsizing and mass home-working will continue in the long term. In the future, offices may need to expand again to accommodate new working configurations and regional needs.

Instead of reselling your existing furniture, companies like IE can now keep your surplus furniture in storage for you, safe for future projects.   

We’ll digitally catalogue everything we store for you, so future designers can see exactly what’s in stock when they redesign and fit out future workspaces.

7. Adopt technology to track and manage furniture assets

Use asset management software to monitor the lifecycle of your furniture. This ensures informed decisions about when to repair, refurbish, or replace items, contributing to a proactive sustainability strategy.

Collaborate with experts in circular economy solutions

Embracing the circular economy in your office furniture strategy allows organisations to reduce waste, cut costs, and enhance sustainability credentials. By taking intentional steps and partnering with experts, businesses can contribute to a healthier planet while creating a more adaptable and efficient workplace.

Explore our full range of services:

• Design & Consultancy - optimise your workplace design to attract, engage and retain.

• Furniture Solutions - office furniture consultancy and procurement services for professional teams.

• Furniture Re-use - tailored solutions to help your business reap the benefits of the circular economy.

• Office Moves - explore our full range of services to get your business moving.