Cradle to Cradle Products Institute Joins with RESEAT to Strengthen Data Management for Certifying Furniture Sustainability

Key takeaways:

Partners anticipate promoting sustainable furniture solutions by emphasizing durability, recyclability, and reduced environmental impact.
Digital Product Passports will support transparency and accountability throughout certified product life cycles.

Why we think this matters to designers: Improving the accessibility of transparency standards could help in tracking and measuring the results of product certification programs and, by extension, their impact on broader sustainability initiatives.

What is the Cradle to Cradle Products Institute?

Founded in 2012, the Cradle to Cradle Products Institute has created the Cradle to Cradle Certified® standard for industries and manufacturers around the globe to secure the development of innovative, thoughtful materials and products that meet criteria for material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness. The nonprofit organization’s charter is to enable industries to transform from a conventional linear economy to a circular economy (see diagram above). Product standards are developed through a research, review, and pilot process involving stakeholders that represent manufacturing, subject matter expertise, and independent assessment organizations.

In order to advance circular practices into the commercial furniture market, the Cradle to Cradle Products Institute and online marketplace RESEAT have partnered to develop new benchmarks for sustainable furnishings.

One of the pressing issues facing those who purchase or specify interior products is a massive potential waste stream of furniture and accessories when businesses no longer need them. Storage of inventories in good condition can often be a drain on those businesses—which results in the problem of whether to dispose of the furnishings or find them a new home.

In the past, options for reselling used furnishings in good condition have been limited by buyer reluctance. However, a more recent industry shift to repurpose quality, vetted items has generated more opportunity for reconditioning, reselling, and equipping such products with additional warranties.

When supported with environmental data that provides detailed information about their life cycle, carbon footprint, and materials safety, second-life furniture could be a more attractive option for green-minded design firms and their clients.

RESEAT and the Cradle to Cradle Products Institute want to remove obstacles to the re-use of commercial furniture and ensure that potential buyers have access to the information they need for confident decision-making.

More about RESEAT

RESEAT, a second-hand furniture marketplace and inventory management company, has been in the business of providing a second life for pre-owned office furniture since 2020. Founder Brandi Susewitz and her husband and business partner, Eric Susewitz, saw an opportunity for repurposed and reconditioned furnishings during the coronavirus pandemic—when supply chains were stalling, projects were delayed, and many commercial workspaces were downsizing. By 2022, RESEAT had added to its capabilities with its detailed e-commerce site for furniture resellers and buyers, as well as software tools for inventory, product life cycle and environmental data tracking, furniture planning across multiple locations, and connecting with potential buyers.

Ren DeCherney, Cradle to Cradle Products Institute director for built environment, said, “As part of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® program, manufacturers receive a Circular Data Sheet that is in alignment with the Digital Product Passport [DPP] initiative, which they can leverage on the RESEAT platform.”

DeCherney added that the data sheet contains “reverse logistics” or end-of-life options for the certified product. These will now have direct links to RESEAT’s digital inventory management services. RESEAT’s Susewitz also confirmed that products that have a digital identifier known as RESEAT ID meet DPP qualifications and would therefore also be eligible for the Cradle to Cradle Circular Certified® program.

“This ensures that furniture manufacturers have a guaranteed second life option and management system when they go through the Cradle to Cradle Certified® program, as well as DPP data for their products,” DeCherney explained.

The partnership could offer a more streamlined process for furniture manufacturers, buyers, and resellers to document and track product/materials accountability and increase the practice of repurposing—contributing to further circular practices in the building and design market.