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The Italian National Furniture System Consortium (Consorzio Nazionale Sistema Arredo), launched in late October, is a voluntary consortial Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme that guarantees the pickup, collection, recovery, and recycling of furniture waste and other furnishing products, promoting reuse and accelerating the transition towards the circular economy in the sector.

The project is the second of its kind in Europe after its French counterpart, but the Italian model aims to be a leading light for other EU countries thanks to its innovative and streamlined structure. The consortium has been launched ahead of the EU requirement, expected by 2027, which will create a regulated international market for high-quality second-hand furnishings.

The furniture sector prepares for EPR

Designed and promoted by FederlegnoArredo (Italy's wood and furniture industry body), alongside associated furniture companies, the new consortium aims to prepare producers for a possible future implementation of EPR schemes, which impose the end-of-life management of products put on the market. There are 25 businesses currently signed up to the National Furniture System Consortium, with a total combined revenue exceeding 2 billion euros.

"The voluntary consortium came into being when our members signed up and we are already operational, alongside the control room and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, to analyse in detail the operating conditions for a possible EPR regime in the furniture sector," said FederlegnoArredo President Claudio Feltrin, who will also preside over the consortium.

"To this end, the collaboration with the Ministry is vital. We are working together to draft, as indicated by the same department, a programme agreement that will authorise us to concretely explore the solutions and conventions that the EPR regime could initiate with all stakeholders in the supply chain."

Organisation and new markets

The consortium is in its beta testing phase, but the hope is for it to become mandatory as soon as possible, that is once the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security has granted all the necessary approvals. As well as the recovery of raw materials, primarily wood but other components as well, the new Consortium will place great emphasis on repair and reuse.

"Collection sites, a key part of EPR, will be the starting point. Then, thanks to our manufacturers' increasing focus on eco-design, which promotes reuse and repair, the second-hand market will create opportunities for new local supply chains and new lines of business for furniture companies," says Feltrin.

The growing demand from Green Public Procurement – but also in the private sector – for furniture made from recycled materials or derived from reuse, as well as the secondary market, will support the consortium's work.

"There are many driving forces, from procurement to younger demographics, that want designer products but cannot afford to buy new; in this way, they might find things more easily on the secondary market," adds the President.

Some partner companies have already started looking into how to bolster the repair supply chain, even by setting up collection centres in their warehouses and retail stores. There will be a shift from a repair service for clients to a fully integrated market.

An environmental fee, included in the price of items of furniture at the point of sale, will be levied to support the consortium financially. The fee will be in proportion to the size and type of product, set across archetypes (from chairs to large-scale kitchens).

Furthermore, the fee will reward manufacturers of more sustainable furniture, with payable rates being lower for more circular products. "We will also reward those who create furniture with a greater recyclability index, with recycled materials, and promoting repairability," says Feltrin.

Thus, FederlegnoArredo, alongside furniture companies, is setting itself up as an exponent and forerunner of the paradigm shift that will be driven by EPR, transforming a possible legal requirement into a strategic opportunity.

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Cover: Claudio Feltrin © Federlegno Arredo