We are huge advocates of the circular economy and we freely admit we do talk about it rather a lot! But that’s because it’s important. We want to make circular furnishing fashionable, creative and impactful!
JPA use circular principles to design functional and fun office environments with a real wow factor. You’ve only got to look at our case studies to see how good we are at that!
Circularity is increasingly important as the reality of our world’s limited resources becomes clearer. As a society we simply cannot afford to continue with the linear ‘take, make, dispose’ economic system that has been the norm for far too many years. This is why we work closely with clients at the start of each refurbishment project to audit and identify existing furniture items with the potential for repurposing and reuse into the new schemes, incorporating as much of the existing furniture stock as possible. Much of the time, staff don’t even recognise re-used furniture items - imagine if you can also show your teams how their new workspace has also been kinder to the planet.
Re-use is an economical, sustainable carbon reduction solution that we built into project works, before specification and supply of new furniture items. When new furniture is needed, JPA help clients buy better, consume less and use for longer. New furniture supplied is supported by out in-house maintenance and support programmes taking items up to warranty and often into second and third lives, reducing yet more carbon and waste.
Benefits of reusing and renovating
Saving money
You’d be amazed by what we can repurpose. For example, if you want to replace all your desks, we can often reuse the existing desk frames, reworking into different sizes or simply re-topping them. If you want more colourful office chairs, that’s easy - we’ll reupholster the ones you’ve got. If you’ve already invested in high quality task and meeting chairs, there’s absolutely no need to spend money buying replacements when it’s cheaper, and better for the environment, to reupholster or repair them. By using as much existing stock as possible in the new schemes, your company could save significant funds whilst also reducing the carbon cost of the fit out – what’s not to love?
Protecting the environment
By wasting less furniture ie. using what you already have for longer (where possible), your new office project will cost less and, have a lower carbon footprint, appealing to both procurement and sustainability officers! Any new furniture, fixtures and fittings needed are carefully sourced by our teams from certified suppliers to ensure the most positive social and environmental impact. JPA ensure that any truly redundant furniture items are reused elsewhere or recycled for materials recovery, ensuring that nothing goes to landfill.
Purchasing with Purpose
Consumers and customers are also actively searching out ethical and ethically sourced products, a market that was worth £122bn in the UK in 2020 (latest figures available). A new office fit out that’s carried out sustainably and showcasing a circular furniture approach is something you can - and must - shout about on your social media and PR channels! Making a positive impact environmentally and/or socially may also help companies retain and attract the best talent, fundamental to future business success – the right people, in the right place, at the right time to do the right thing is essential.
Getting Creative
Ultimately, your business needs to create a working environment that is comfortable, ergonomic and encourages productivity whilst also looking great. An inclusive, accessible workspace that appeals to all ages will ultimately enable greater productivity and a better quality user experience Furniture facilitates this, so why not get your staff involved and get their input to design spaces that work for them, that inspire them to be creative and help really enjoy coming in to the office? We’re living in exceptional times, let’s create exceptional workspaces and new norms that work for our people and our organisations – we can make this happen!
If you would like to find out more about how our award-winning sustainable furniture solutions can transform your workspaces, save carbon, reduce waste, boost your local economy and reduce spend, contact us now on hello@jpa-workspaces.com.