How to make furniture industry more circular? The role of component standardisation in ready-to-assemble furniture

Abstract

The transition towards a circular economy has become one of the biggest challenges faced by enterprises in the second decade of the 21st century. It is also perceived as one of the key levers for achieving sustainable development goals. However, the peculiar features of individual industries require individual approaches and careful analyses. The paper focuses on the furniture industry, which in Europe faces a variety of economic, environmental and regulatory challenges. To meet those challenges and truly close the loop a more strategic approach from the industry is needed. There is also a huge demand for practical options that would be immediately accessible for business organisations that need not necessarily be based on breakthrough technological solutions as these may still be economically not viable. The article aims to fill this gap and to meet these challenges. Different models implying varied engagement of consumers, furniture manufacturers/retailers, and external contractors in closing the loop and making the industry more sustainable are proposed and recommendations for the most promising ones are made. The most preferable model requires not only that business organisations take a strategic approach involving a high level of component standardisation but also active consumer engagement in used/unwanted furniture sourcing and disassembly. The primary research allowed us to assess the level of standardisation defined as the level of repeatability of assembly parts used in ready-to-assemble furniture. The analysis was made for the selected product group (sofas) of a global leading furniture producer and retailer (IKEA). It was found that within the specific product series, standardisation is evident, whereas it varies significantly across series of different products leaving some room for improvement.