Objectives and “green” commitments for FederlegnoArredo, which has reaffirmed its dedication to sustainability in support of its affiliated businesses by participating, for the first time as an exhibitor, in Ecomondo, the event held in Rimini for technologies, services, and industrial solutions in the “green” and “circular economy” sectors.
“Sustainability is a concrete journey that has seen companies in the sector committed to sustainability for some time, working on all aspects of production, design, and the product lifecycle, improving their environmental performance. Actions mapped and measured in a survey – conducted on a sample of affiliated companies in collaboration with the Symbola Foundation – provide an up-to-date snapshot of the strategies implemented by the companies,” explained the federation in the press release issued during the event.
SURVEY NUMBERS
96 percent of companies in the wood-furniture sector use sustainable materials in their processes; 60 percent to some extent source from renewable energy sources in production. Furthermore, almost all companies consider at least one circular criterion in product design, and over half have implemented circular-oriented business models. Most companies have focused on recyclability (58.2 percent), disassembly (37.5 percent), product reuse (29.3 percent), reducing packaging (44 percent), and energy consumption (54.9 percent). More and more companies offer services to improve product lifecycle management.
Turning the focus to production processes, it is evident that they are becoming more efficient and competitive: around 70 percent of companies have made efficiency investments in the past three years, optimizing production processes (64 percent in 2021) to reduce environmental impact. In particular, more than half of the companies recover production waste for internal reuse. Not only that: 55 percent of companies are involved in agreements, programs, and projects to implement sustainability and circularity measures and solutions for processes and products, 17.9 percent have initiated or participated in habitat regeneration programs, and 50 percent intend to do so in the near future.
Wood-furniture companies are also committed to enhancing sustainability skills for a more effective welfare model. On the corporate resources front, 41.3 percent of companies have ongoing training or information programs. 27.2 percent have identified a sustainability manager or officer, and 43.5 percent plan to add one to their organization. Regarding supplier selection, 76 percent of companies have defined evaluation criteria that take environmental aspects into account (56 percent in 2021). 47.5 percent of furniture area companies source raw materials or semi-finished products locally (within 100 km), and in the wood area, three out of four companies purchase certified wood (FSC, PEFC). As of now, over 60 percent of companies have at least one system certification, with 31 percent being ISO 14001 type.
“We are facing an epochal challenge, and the Federation has decided to play an active role in rethinking production models, limiting climate change, and at the same time creating conditions for affiliated companies to remain competitive in the markets,” explained Claudio Feltrin, President of FederlegnoArredo. “Contributing is necessary so that a sustainable development model is truly possible. The results of the survey are reassuring and demonstrate that our industry is inherently green, but the journey is still long and complex, and no one can embark on it alone.”
