+1 888.282.2105
Our ambition is to help accelerate the transition towards a circular future. We believe a circular economy is the most effective response to the threat of global warming. Here are the five specific actions we’re taking.
1. Furniture for Life Program
Use. Repair. Recycle. The single most important thing we can do as a company is to make furniture that lasts - furniture that turns into heirloom pieces that are passed down through generations. This ambition informs our design decisions and quality standards.
Our promise:
- We guarantee that replacement parts for all our products are available for its lifetime. Should a leg on a chair after 15 years become unusable, you can replace it. Likewise, you will be able to order a table top, fabric cover or even felt pads. All components are available with reasonable pricing. You can call us at +1 888.282.2105 or email parts@civilspace.com to order parts.
- We make it easy to replace parts. Our furniture is designed with this in mind. Soon, you will be able to order all parts directly on civilspace.com.
- All our furniture can be recycled. You can break each product down to the last component and recycle the materials. This means it won’t have to end up in a landfill. Instead, the materials can be repurposed for a new life. This is an enabler for a circular economy.
2. Material Passports
Materials have significant impact on human and environmental health. We source responsibly and track all materials used in our products through Material Passports. We avoid materials on the Red List and do our best to minimize the use of virgin materials in our furniture.
Our promise:
- FSC-certified wood
- Fabrics from certified, sustainable mills such as Kvadrat, Emmedue and Nevotex
- Eco leathers from Sørensen and Dani, who are among the most progressive tanneries in the world
- Low-carbon steel with up to 30% recycled content
- Non-VOC water-based paint and powder-coating for surface treatments
3. Low-emission manufacturing
Our partners are essential in helping us reach our goals. Therefore, we chose to work with factories that share our vision for a circular future. While our partners may not be where they need to be yet, our strict 5-point validation process makes sure they have robust processes in place and are making continuous progress. All of our production partners are located in Europe.
Partner requirements:
- Actively working to minimize carbon emissions from their operations through specific, measurable actions.
- Work to continuously increase the amount of energy used in production and transportation from sustainable sources such as hydro, solar and wind.
- Display full transparency and certificates for all materials and treatments used in production.
- Progressive programs in place for recycling or re-use of material scrap from production.
- Ethical and healthy work conditions for all employees.
4. Carbon-neutral footprint
Our first priority is to eliminate our carbon emissions, and every day we get closer to that goal. The emissions we can’t eliminate we offset. This makes our net footprint neutral. It also gives us a financial incentive to continue to improve, since carbon offsets have a price.
Our promise:
- We guarantee that all our furniture is carbon-neutral. We do this through programs coordinated with our independent partner Terrapass.
- Our contributions help improve air quality across the U.S. by capturing emissions from landfills and other initiatives. America generates more waste than any other nation in the world, with 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste per person per day.
- Soon, we will be sharing the environmental footprint of every single product to give you more information on the impact of the product you buy. We believe this in an important step in garnering more support for the transition to a circular future.
5. A circular world
This is all good, but we still have many puzzles to solve. This is why our vision goes beyond what we do as a furniture maker. We work on a series of projects focused on accelerating the transition to a circular future. Some will fail, but others might create solutions that can be used within and potentially outside our industry.
Our promise:
- We invest 5% of our profits in R&D projects dedicated to finding ground-breaking, innovative and impactful solutions to eliminate our negative impact on the environment.
- We work closely with our partners since we strongly believe this is a challenge no one can solve alone. We’re bringing together some of the most creative designers, engineers and business minds through our interdisciplinary approach to this challenge.
- We promise to open-source our solutions so everyone can benefit from the progress we make. We see Civil as a platform for positive change and want to make it easer for others to join the movement.
What can you do?
Ask questions. Push us all to do better. You don’t need to buy our furniture, but make sure you buy from someone who cares. This goes for every purchase, not only furniture. You have superpowers as a consumer. Use that power, because the collective power of all consumers can do more to change the world than any regulation or political intervention is able to do.