Client

Circulari is a Barcelona-based designer children’s furniture brand operating under a circular economy model. Its approach is built on a clear premise: a tree takes thirty years to grow, while a piece of children’s furniture has an average lifespan of just three years.

The brand designs and manufactures furniture intended for multiple life cycles. Its products are made from locally sourced solid wood, water-based varnishes and renewable energy. Manufacturing takes place locally in Barcelona, working with craftspeople whose expertise spans more than three generations.

When you no longer need a piece of Circulari furniture, you can return it to the brand. In exchange, you can choose between a voucher worth 30% of the purchase price towards another product or a refund of 15% of the original purchase price. Circulari refurbishes the furniture and puts it back on the market.

Challenge

The project had two objectives:

  • – To identify the transport distance beyond which refurbishing furniture is no longer environmentally beneficial, as well as other variables that may influence its environmental performance.
  • To do so, the carbon footprint of several furniture products was calculated across three use scenarios: a single life cycle, three use cycles (with two refurbishment cycles) and seven use cycles (with six refurbishment cycles).
  • – To develop an internal tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of the company’s products.

What was done?

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were quantified for twelve different products across all three scenarios. The calculations followed ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 for life cycle assessment (LCA), and ISO 14067 for product carbon footprint quantification.

A cradle-to-grave approach was adopted, covering raw material extraction and production, transport, manufacturing and distribution, as well as collection and refurbishment processes and end-of-life material management.

In addition, a calculator was developed to enable Circulari to independently assess the environmental impacts of its products in-house, based on the number of life cycles.

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Results

− del 30 al 50%

Carbon footprint per life cycle when the same piece of furniture goes through three life cycles, compared with a single-use scenario.

− del 40 al 70%

Carbon footprint per life cycle when the same piece of furniture goes through seven life cycles, compared with a single-use scenario.

1

A calculator that enables Circulari to assess the environmental impact of its products based on their life cycles.

Conclusions

This project enabled Circulari to quantify the potential reduction in the environmental impacts of its products associated with extending their useful life. The analysis also helped the company understand the environmental impacts of the different stages of its products’ life cycles, identify opportunities for innovation, make better-informed decisions and define circularity strategies.

Furthermore, having its own environmental impact calculator will allow Circulari to assess the environmental performance of its products quickly and independently.

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