From Fast Furniture to Future Fit: New Partnership Puts Interiors in the Carbon Spotlight
From fast furniture to future-fit solutions, interiors are stepping into the carbon spotlight. The Australian Furnishing Industry Stewardship Council (AFISC)and the Australian Furniture Association (AFA), together with Rebuilt have launched a first-of-its-kind partnership to put Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) at the centre of carbon reporting – transforming how interiors are measured, specified and supplied.
Carbon reporting has long focused on base buildings; however, when a 5-7 year turnover is factored in, fit-out can outweigh the building itself in terms of embodied carbon. With Green Star Interiors refreshing its rating, and new climate disclosure laws demanding annual reporting on procured materials by major commercial tenants, the role of FF&E is now impossible to ignore.
In addition to mandatory reporting regimes, many REITs and major corporates are under mounting pressure from their staff, customers and investors to meet science-based targets and cut embodied carbon across their portfolios. That means furniture suppliers are now expected to provide verified carbon data – and until now, there has been no simple, affordable way to do it.
The partnership will change that. AFA members will gain access to Rebuilt’s independent carbon ratings, creating the first data-rich picture of carbon in FF&E. Unlike traditional Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), which have been out of reach of most furniture manufacturers, these ratings are streamlined and accessible for manufacturers with a high number of variants in their product range. And as a bonus, upfront carbon calculations naturally reward recycled content, local manufacturing and circular business models such as product-as-a-service.
“Furniture is the missing piece of the carbon puzzle,”said Patrizia Torelli, CEO of the Australian Furniture Association.“This partnership with Rebuilt finally gives our industry the data it needs to prove leadership, win work and show its value to architects, designers, government and corporate buyers alike.”
“Carbon transparency has been a luxury furniture companies have wanted, but few could afford – until now,”said Esther Bailey, COO of Rebuilt.“Our ratings strip out the cost and complexity, and they build on the growing ecosystem of trusted sustainability tools – complementing ecolabels such as GECA to give the market practical, affordable options. This is the start of a new chapter for interiors – bold, credible and climate-ready, with Australian furniture at the forefront”
To accelerate adoption, the AFA and Rebuilt are calling for 5–10 early-mover products in each FF&E category to be rated first, with incentives on offer. These pioneers will help shape the sector’s carbon data baseline and show the market what’s possible. Contact us for more information.