The FurnCIRCLE project has officially released the "Handbook for Facilitating the Circular Economy Transition in the EU Furniture Industry", marking a major step forward in supporting the European furniture sector’s transition toward circularity. Available in 10 EU languages, the handbook is the result of a collaborative effort led by AMBIT, FLA, and EFIC, with technical support from Nutcreatives. Its development involved a broad consortium of FurnCIRCLE partners—including industry associations, research centres, and innovation-driven organisations—who worked closely with external experts to create a strategic and practical tool for the sector.
At a time of increasing environmental and economic complexity, the handbook responds to the urgent need for a shift to more sustainable business models. It offers a deep dive into the principles of the circular economy, contrasting it with the traditional linear approach, and introduces the CANVAS business model as a foundation for circular transformation.
The guide outlines the current state of the European furniture industry—an economic heavyweight generating over €100 billion annually—highlighting both its strengths and its environmental challenges. It addresses key topics such as design for circularity, material efficiency, life cycle thinking, and environmental impact assessments.
Notably, the handbook presents 30 actionable design and lifecycle strategies and showcases hundreds of real-world examples to inspire implementation. It also reviews relevant EU sustainability legislation, providing companies with the necessary context to align with evolving regulatory demands.
To further enhance its practical and strategic value, the handbook includes sections such as “Skills, Needs and Recommendations”, which address the workforce competencies essential for enabling the circular transition. It also features a comprehensive Annex that brings together a repository of validated good practices and business cases, an overview of the FurnCIRCLE Self-Assessment Tool to determine a company’s level of circular maturity, testimonial videos from companies that participated in the tool’s validation, and a detailed report on the pilot phase of the self-assessment tool. Together, these components make the handbook not only a strategic guide but also a hands-on resource for companies across the European furniture industry.
The handbook is now available to industry professionals and stakeholders across Europe, offering essential guidance to drive meaningful change and support the sector’s transition toward a more circular and sustainable future.
📘 Access the guide and learn more at https://furncircle.eu/downloads
