Closing Loops, Opening Opportunities for Circularity in Commercial Furniture
25 June 2024 - 6:00PM
Business Wire
Installnet, Bard College MBA program share
research to drive reuse
- Initiative designed to identify and deliver solutions to
eliminate waste and cut carbon emissions
- Industry-wide approach will help building industry
consistently and credibly track and report progress
Commercial furniture solutions company Installnet and Bard
College’s MBA program in sustainability today released new research
highlighting the growing need to reduce and eliminate furniture
waste in commercial buildings. The paper, “Closing Loops, Opening
Opportunities: The Future of Circularity in the Commercial
Furniture Industry” is part of a new collective to develop and
implement real world solutions.
Each year, more than 146 million tons of solid waste goes to
landfills in the U.S., generating dangerous methane gas emissions
that worsen climate change. That’s the equivalent of 20.3 million
passenger cars on the road, according to the EPA. An estimated 9
million tons of that waste is furniture.
“This problem can only be solved by collaborating across the
value chain to create consistent, credible standards and
practices,” said Installnet CEO Dale Ewing. “We’re all struggling
with issues like measuring our impact, identifying uses for items
that can’t be recycled and finding cost effective ways to get
furniture to people who need it. It’s time for players across the
commercial real estate sector to come together and get zero
done.”
Michaela Flynn, a recent graduate of the Bard College MBA
program in sustainability, developed the research paper.
“While many challenges and opportunities exist, the most urgent
problem to collectively address is the accurate and transparent
measuring and reporting of the sustainability impact of diversion,”
Flynn writes. “This requires the involvement of all industry
players - and cannot be done with just one or two standalone
actors. Accurate measurement and reporting will lay the
foundational groundwork necessary for the improvement and
acceleration of sustainability and circularity within the
commercial furniture industry.”
The paper is part of a new collective founded by Installnet,
Ecoserv Net Zero (ENZO), has already begun its work, which will
include documenting processes, procedures and practices to become
assurance ready and meet new reporting requirements. ENZO will also
identify the educational programs and materials needed to create
industry standards and will be sharing “lessons learned” and best
practices along the way.
Installnet is a recognized leader in sustainability. Its rapidly
growing Ecoserv program keeps unused furniture and other assets in
circulation, instead of sending them to landfill. Since 2012
Installnet has diverted more than 50 million pounds of waste from
landfills and donated items to more than 3,000 nonprofits and
community groups.
If you are interested in participating in the effort and getting
zero done, please contact Lila Grant at enzo@installnet.com.
About Installnet
Installnet provides professional project management services in
the United States and Canada. Our network of over 350 highly
qualified independent furniture installation companies provide
exceptional service in more than 100 major markets. Our custom
solutions range from Ecoserv, an award-winning circular
decommission program to Installhub, a self-serve platform of
installation companies.
About The Bard MBA in Sustainability. Bard College's
graduate business degree fully integrates a focus on mission-driven
business. Ranked the #1 Green MBA three years running and the #2
MBA for Non-Profit Management by the Princeton Review, the program
was also recognized as the #4 Worldwide in the "Better World MBA"
ranking by Corporate Knights. Based in New York City, the program
features one-weekend per month in-person instruction plus on-line
structure to support working adult students from across the US.
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Lila Grant enzo@installnet.com