Currently, it is estimated that in the greater Sydney area alone, 48,000 tonnes of used furniture are left on the kerbside each year and the Australian Furnishing Association (AFA) believes much more needs to be done to reduce this waste.
AFA ambassador and International award-winning designer, Jamie Durie OAM, has urged the industry to ‘get serious’ about product stewardship, and back the AFA’s all-inclusive and independent national Product Stewardship Scheme.
Durie says it is imperative that the industry moves beyond the ‘take, make and dispose’ economy, and embraces the circular economy, where all the materials used in production are reused or recycled, and waste is eradicated.
“The disposability of many furnishings has created a massive environmental problem that has to be addressed,” he says.
“We must not only ensure we use sustainably sourced materials, but also think about the end use of the materials. Single-use can be deleted from the process, with innovative design.
“There are great opportunities for Australian designers and manufacturers and the AFA’s Product Stewardship Scheme is ideally placed to help support suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and Australian families, in ensuring a safer and more sustainable future for us all.”
AFA CEO, Patrizia Torelli, adds that the AFA’s membership, across the full range of furnishings, can contribute significantly to reducing risks to human health and the environment, and promoting the circular economy.
“The AFA is already active in providing the furnishing industry with tools and support for product stewardship,” she explains.
“A prime example is our timber Due Diligence toolkit, to help combat the use of illegally-sourced timber. We are perfectly placed to help roll-out a National Product Stewardship accreditation process and maximise its implementation.
“The AFA is helping drive the supply-side of the circular economy, and we can help with the demand side as well, through our already-established online consumer advice portal.”
Torelli says that a successful Product Stewardship Scheme will ultimately result in a ‘better deal’ for the consumer.
“Not only will we reduce waste caused by the use of poor-quality single-use materials. A circular furnishing industry economy will result in a reduction in cost to the community generally, as furnishings are built to last, energy use is reduced and recycling delivers greater savings and opportunities to industry.”
For example, Woods Furniture has introduced a Woods Sustainability Program which covers all resources used in manufacture, as well as a furniture take-back scheme for materials to be recycled at the end of their use.
