Driving circularity home.
The Circular Change Council is an action-focused homeware industry collective, set up by WRAP and eBay, to increase circularity in the furniture industry and help reduce furniture waste.
By keeping furniture in the economy and out of the natural environment, we can capture its value for the benefit of both people and planet.
Why is the Circular Change Council needed?
Bringing together like-minded and forward-thinking businesses.
The Council is convening leading UK retailers who share in our ambition for a circular economy for furniture. Retailers have already made positive efforts to reduce the impact of the industry, however, there is recognition that there is a chance to increase impact and address wider issues which can only be tackled through collaboration.
Our founding partners include IKEA UK&IE, George at ASDA, Very, Sainsbury’s, Simba, Dunelm, British Retail Consortium and the British Heart Foundation
We are delighted to be part of the Circular Change Council, working collaboratively with other retailers and industry experts to unlock the potential for creating circularity in the furniture industry.
~ Jade Snart, Senior Sustainability Manager for George Clothing at ASDA
Priority action areas.
Early research from the Council suggests that some of the key barriers retailers have to overcome in pursuit of a circular economy include making it easy for citizens to access pre-owned furniture from a trusted and reliable source, the cost of returns for businesses, and complex recycling regulations. Based on this, the proposed focus areas for the Circular Change Council, due to be agreed in 2024, include:
There is a huge opportunity for the furniture industry to take on some of the challenges to help take steps towards a fully circular future. The Circular Change Council intends not only to make it easier for consumers to find a good deal by buying non-new, but also to help to keep items out of landfill.
~ Kumaran Adithyan, General Manager Home, Refurbished and Electronics at eBay UK
Milestones.
Since the Council was launched, two roundtables have been held with partnering retailers in August 2023 and October 2023. In 2024, the Council will be publishing its Forward-Looking Commitments for delivering action in its priority areas with a view to launch pilot projects to help prompt wide-scale industry and citizen behavioural change.
