The anatomy of a sofa
What is in a sofa? On the surface, it looks quite simple, but in fact, it is anything but. Its component parts can include wood, textiles, foam, metal, meaning it has a complex supply chain covering many materials and countries, if not continents. A sofa has an equally complicated set of EU legislation which could apply to its individual parts or as a whole.
Europe’s furniture business falls a bit “between two stools” (excuse the pun!) when it comes to the legislation which govern it. It is not overseen by one overarching framework for sustainability or circularity. Various broad pieces of EU legislation, as well as some product or component-specific rules (such as rules affecting wood sourcing), currently apply to furniture sold in the EU. But this is changing. This is a sector which is resource-intensive and with, currently, relatively low levels of re-use and recycling, leading to a large quantity of waste of bulky items. Therefore, the changes EU policy makers have in store are about time! New rules in the pipeline will centre around circular design targeting, for instance, durability, repairability and end-of-life.
By dismantling a sofa (at least on paper) we are going to examine how the different EU rules apply to this one common piece of furniture. It is a useful way of seeing how individual components of a sofa fall under different rules, while also showing how EU law applies to the sofa (both now and in the future) throughout its lifecycle.
A sofa frame: how sustainable is the wood?
Starting with the frame: often this is made from wood and, of course, the EU places a high importance on the provenance and sustainability of that material. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) – applicable to medium and large operators as of the end of this year – brings in due diligence and traceability requirements for products linked to deforestation. For producers of sofas, and furniture companies in general, this will inevitably mean more scrutiny of where the wood in their products comes from. Detailed information about sourcing of wood products will be required.
When it comes to materials-choices for products, it is not just about sourcing, but also about how that material affects the product as a whole. For example, does it make it more durable, or easier to repair or recycle? This perspective will be a key element of the upcoming EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) for furniture –– which will most likely establish mandatory eco-design requirements for furniture. The Digital Product Passport (DPP) will also be highly relevant when it comes to transparency around the materials used to create a sofa’s frame. It will require a much more granular level of detail about materials’ sustainability aspects and their supply chain.
The different regulations in place or on the horizon mean that the choice of the sofa’s frame is much more than a design or a procurement decision; it must involve questions of traceability, significant levels of data about products, as well as how that frame contributes to the sofa’s sustainability of its full “life”.
The sofa cover: safety & ecodesign
A sofa’s upholstery can be a mix of different types of fibres, such as cotton, wool or polyester. The rules governing upholstery use are a key interconnection of different regulations. REACH is an important piece here (this is the law which restricts the use of hazardous substances and requires companies to manage the risks they pose to human health and the environment.)
But the EU also has its eyes on textile upholstery through the upcoming ESPR for furniture and the related DPP, and likely the upcoming revision of the Ecolabel for furniture. The aim is to improve products’ sustainability aspects in the design phase of the product. This could happen, for instance, by ensuring fabrics are made from sustainable renewable materials with their use directly encouraged over conventional fibres, or that they contain recycled content. It could also involve enabling easier disassembly of upholstered elements to facilitate recyclability. Greater emphasis will be placed on transparency – meaning relevant information will need to be made available and accessible throughout the supply chain.
The inside counts – what about foam and fillings?
Rules about chemicals also apply to the foam or filling of a sofa under the REACH regulation. Looking ahead, future ESPR requirements are likely going to place greater emphasis on the types of foam used, as well as the presence of substances of concern (such as flame retardants) and recyclability aspects. With the introduction of the DPP, sofa manufacturers will face increased scrutiny of not only the information they hold themselves, but also the information they receive from suppliers regarding the materials used in their products.
The sofa as a whole: designed for a longer life
Increasingly EU regulation will govern not only individual materials, but also how products are designed to perform over their full lifecycle. This is the intention of the ESPR. Future requirements for furniture are expected to look at issues such as durability, repairability, recyclability, reuse and whether products can be more easily disassembled or fitted with replaceable components.
In practice, that could influence decisions about how sofas are constructed, how easy they are to repair, and what happens to their materials when the product reaches the end of its useful life.
At the same time, consumer behaviour and preferences also play a part, as purchasing choices may be influenced not only by sustainability considerations, but also by factors such as appearance, colour, comfort and personal taste.
The wider value chain: responsibilities beyond the product
Not all of the relevant rules apply to a specific part of the sofa. Some apply to the company and its wider value chain. For larger furniture companies, rules such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) can create broader obligations around sustainability reporting and supply-chain due diligence. The EU Forced Labour Regulation also adds a product-level market access dimension, prohibiting products made with forced labour from being placed or made available on the EU market.
Together, these rules mean that companies need to start looking beyond how a sofa is designed and consider how materials are sourced, how suppliers are managed, and what information is available across the value chain.
Shaping furniture regulation
It’s clear from our look at the inside and outside of a sofa that many EU legislation can apply to individual parts of furniture and also to the whole product, its supply chain and its lifecycle. And the wider furniture sector is no different. Some of these rules are being developed right now and it is not yet clear how they will address complex products such as sofas, made up of many different materials and components. This means the sector has an important window in which it can help shape a sustainable future for furniture, with rules that are pragmatic and effective for business to implement. If you have ideas on how this could be best done, reach out and let’s discuss.
Find out more about EU public affairs for furniture
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