ACTIONS REALISED

 

 

2023 Actions Realised

Our commitment is reflected in our daily efforts within our company and with our broader community, including customers and partners. In 2023, we proudly achieved the following milestones on our responsibility journey.

Conscious Consumption

Reducing our Footprint. Mindful of our environmental impact, we carefully measure the CO2e footprint of our products and materials using Målbar’s Climate Screening Tool (link), building a comprehensive library of data that guides early-stage decisions and shapes material and production choices, prioritising respon­sible sourcing. Our commitment extends to ongoing efforts to incorporate even more responsible materials and practices in fu­ture designs. Our category managers conduct initial screenings of products and materials to gauge the environmental impact and make responsible choices early on.

In 2024, we intend to further enhance this project, with the goal of incorporating the CO2 impact of a product into the deci­sion-making process alongside considerations such as cost and lead time. This enhancement will contribute to creating a more informed foundation for making intelligent decisions that mini­mise environmental impact.

In 2023, our goal was to conduct top-100 product climate screen­ings. We surpassed expectations with nearly 200 screenings and have now taken the next step to provide a comprehensive and qualified estimate of our full impact (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) for our entire collection in collaboration with Målbar. The results of this assessment will form the baseline for ferm LIVING’s future re­duction targets. We also offer CO2e estimates to B2B customers, including our made-to-order program, and share these insights with the consumer. This service aims to make CO2e more re­latable.

Onboarding our key suppliers with the Climate Screening Tool, we quantify the CO2e footprint of our products. This creates a foundation for future initiatives in collaboration with our suppli­ers, and ‘in-settings’ – as opposed to off-settings – emphasising investment in more responsible design and production process­es, including e.g. the use of more renewable energy. 

Responsible Products

Creating responsible products requires a conscientious approach to utilising the Earth's resources, a fact becoming increasingly ev­ident with the escalating impact of climate change in our daily lives around the world. An essential part of our responsibility involves actively engaging with our Responsible Criteria during the design and development phases. These initial stages are cru­cial in making significant choices for each product, determining the materials used, production methods and whether we design for disassembly to facilitate circular systems at the end of a prod­uct’s life.

Our commitment includes incorporating the RESPONSIBLE tag, signifying FSC™-, GOTS- or OSC 100-/Organic blended-certifica­tion or production from recycled materials such as recycled glass, recycled aluminium, recycled cotton, recycled paper pulp, recycled ceramic and recycled PET yarns derived from post-consumer plas­tic. Additionally, environmentally friendly alternatives like nettle and cotton mâché are included due to their lower environmental footprint compared to conventional counterparts. We are consist­ently striving to integrate more responsible materials and methods into our upcoming designs.

The percentage of RESPONSIBLE products in our collection increased from 21% in 2020 to 33% in 2023. We are committed to increasing this figure to 36% in 2024.

In 2023, we expanded our network of FSC™-certified suppliers and the number of certified products in our overall collection. We are currently converting all wood possible from conventional to certified responsible forestry. The majority of all wood now used to create our products is FSC-certified, including the wood­en frames of our sofas. We actively advocate for this certification, which not only safeguards the well-being of robust and healthy forests but also promotes biodiversity and upholds human rights. Our goal is to exclusively use FSC-certified wood by the end of 2024.

Responsible Suppliers

Demonstrating a strong commitment to social responsibility within our supply chain is one of our core missions. As members of Amfori, we leverage the platform to ensure that all our key suppliers undergo BSCI audits.

Throughout 2023, we further developed our internal framework ’Responsible suppliers’, setting the standards for collaboration. Our definition of a responsible supplier goes beyond mere com­pliance. We prioritise partnerships with suppliers actively in­volved in social responsibility, collaborating with initiatives and obtaining independent third-party certifications like BSCI, SA 8000, FSC™ and GOTS. These standards signify a mutual com­mitment to upholding human rights and ensuring fair working conditions. All our partners operate responsibly and in accord­ance with our Code of Conduct and contractual obligations.

Selecting suppliers aligned with these high standards enables us to contribute to a global supply chain that respects and advocates for human justice. In 2023 we achieved a 54% threshold of ’respon­sible suppliers’ who meet high social responsibility standards and aim to reach 60% in 2024. Using third-party certifications, this frameworks allows both us and our suppliers to do better.

Putting Sustainability on the Agenda

Throughout 2023, we consistently communicated our progress on our responsibility journey and heightened transparency on production and design. We are cautious not to engage in green­washing or greenhushing. Through the sharing of production and design stories, we invite individuals into our world, providing insight into the journey our products take. Sharing our progress and actively participating in crucial dialogue is vital for fostering a movement and encouraging others to join the quest for positive change.

Placing sustainability at the forefront of the Danish design agen­da is paramount for shaping the future of design. Transparency plays a pivotal role in this, bringing sustainability into the spotlight, while a shared agenda holds the potential to contribute signifi­cantly to creating a better tomorrow. During the 2023 edition of 3daysofdesign, we held an exhibition to showcase our dedication to sustainability and responsibility. It shone light on the emerg­ing concept of CO2e as a new currency, using it as a metric to not only quantify its environmental impact but also facilitate informed decision-making.

The behind-the-scenes look at our work educated both our part­ners and our customers on the correlation between raw materials and CO2e emissions. We highlighted some of the most influen­tial CO2 emission drivers behind our products, including mate­rial, production processes, packaging and transport. By fostering awareness and understanding, we encourage a collective effort towards sustainable practices at all levels of the design industry, from producer to consumer.

 

2022 Actions Realised

In 2022, we achieved the following milestones on our responsibility journey. 

Responsibility Strategy

In 2022, we have implemented and worked with our responsibility strategy across all departments, making sure that we incorporate responsibility into all the branches of our business. We completed many of our initiatives and initiated new, long-term projects from our shared action plan, lead by our Responsibility Ambassador team who ensure progress and knowledge within each of the departments.

FSC™ CERTIFIED – THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL™

We are proud to have expanded our network of FSC™ suppliers as well as the number of products in our collection, while actively promoting the value of this certification, which protects healthy, resilient forests as well as promoting biodiversity and human rights.

CO₂e Impact
We consider the impact of our decisions and continue to measure the CO₂e footprint of our products using Målbar’s Climate Screening tool. We have now onboarded nine of our key suppliers, measuring our climate impact on a product level that takes the entire production pro¬cess into account, from raw material until it arrives at our warehouse. In 2023, we aim to onboard an additional 9 key suppliers and have climate screenings for our 100 top-selling products. This will help to establish a baseline from which future reduction targets and ‘in-settings’ (as opposed to off-settings) will be set, helping us to invest in better and more responsible ways early in the design and production process. In addition, our largest textile sup¬plier now runs their entire production on 90-95% solar power.

AMFORI Membership - BSCI BUSINESS Social Compliance Initiative
Taking social responsibility in our supply chain is a mission we take seriously. Being members of Amfori enables us to have all our key suppliers BSCI audited. In 2022, two-thirds of our key suppliers have been BSCI audited.

Responsibility and Sustainability yearly Communication 
Throughout 2023, we have continued to share our progress on our responsibility journey as well as increase our transparency around production and design - being mindful not to Greenwash or Greenhush. By sharing production and design stories, we invite people behind the scenes and into the journey our products take.

Packaging
In 2022, we achieved a significant milestone as a large packaging supplier in India obtained FSC™ certification, bringing us closer to our objective of ensuring all our packaging is FSC™ certified by the end of 2023.

 

Responsibility Reports

As an element of holding ourselves responsible for making sustainable choices that will work for a better tomorrow, we are a part of the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, UN Global Compact, and publish a yearly Responsibility Report.

Read our 2023 Responsibility Report
Read our 2022 Responsibility Report
Read our 2021 Responsibility Report