Swedish authority spending on reused furnishings in the millions
Swedish authorities have now had the option to purchase reused furniture and circular services through the framework agreement Circular Furniture Flows for 12 months. The Swedish Armed Forces, Uppsala University and the Swedish National Property Board (SFV) are just some of the enterprises that have exercised this option.
For the past year, authorities in Sweden have, for the first time, been able to purchase reused furniture and recondition products under a national agreement. Kammarkollegiet (Sweden’s Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency) recently issued a summary of authorities’ spending on circular furniture flows.
Just over SEK 9 million has been spent on reuse and reconditioning, reaching a peak of almost SEK 5 million during Q3.
Sales statistics reveal that the authorities prefer to use Input interior and its circular e-commerce platform Greenified. Marcus Berntson, Head of KAM, at Input interior emphasised the importance of this type of agreement in promoting increased reuse back when the agreement was signed last year.
“A clear, orderly agreement is crucial to help customers feel confident when purchasing and renting reused products. Hopefully, more enterprises will now realise how easy Greenified is to use and understand the benefits associated with sustainable and circular furniture services.”
The introduction of procurement for circular furniture flows is the result of an increased commitment to sustainable solutions, and the figures for the past year confirm that trend.
“Furniture has a longer life than many people think, and plenty of authorities are now coming to realise that not everything has to be new. A great deal of the reused furniture we supply is perceived as being brand new. We look on this as a positive development and hope that more authorities will adopt this approach going forward. Most realise quite quickly just how simple and efficient the process of purchasing used furniture actually is,” concludes Patrik Clavenstam, Sustainability Manager at Input interior.