Boss Design's circularity in motion
Brand story by Emma Moore
West Midlands, United Kingdom
14.03.23
The high-quality and long-lasting nature of Boss Design's furniture already gives it a headstart in terms of sustainability, but the company, with products like new task chair Sia, continues to show its dedication to making the circular choice.
Boss Design’s new Sia chair is the company’s most sustainable chair to date, from a shaved-down profile, to increased and improved recycled content, and eased end-of-life recyclability
With quality the single most important tenet of Boss Design’s manifesto, it can be argued that the longevity of its workplace furnishings has earned the brand environmental brownie points from the beginning. ‘Fast furniture is not a concept we recognise at Boss Design,’ says design director Mark Barrell. ‘Whether in Dudley, Cheltenham or High Point, we design and manufacture furniture that lasts, which goes a long way in terms of sustainability.’ Making things that last, however, is just the start. Without circularity built into every part of the process, each chair made is playing its part in climate armageddon.
Actively curving the line also started some time ago for Boss, however. In 2009, it won the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development, which honoured its push towards waste, energy and carbon mile reduction. It has since further closed the circle with research into material sustainability, refurbishment and end-of-life recyclability.
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Sia Task Chair
Boss Design
Boss Design creates pieces that are aesthetically timeless and functionally durable so that from the outset they aspire to a long life and the sustainability that comes with longevity
Boss Design creates pieces that are aesthetically timeless and functionally durable so that from the outset they aspire to a long life and the sustainability that comes with longevity
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Sia Task Chair
Boss Design
The new task chair, Sia, represents Boss Design’s most circular product to date. Shaving down its profile, the design team have managed to reduce the amount of material in the chair, and working with innovative suppliers, they have pushed its recycled content to 70.6%. 43.1% of the whole is post-consumer recycled plastic. With glues banished, 99.4% of the chair can be recycled at the end of its life.
When a chair is past its best or the colour just no longer fits a scheme, Sia can be reupholstered. Its design uses no glue to ease disassembly
When a chair is past its best or the colour just no longer fits a scheme, Sia can be reupholstered. Its design uses no glue to ease disassembly
×Before it gets to this point, however, the brand’s aim is to extend its life as a chair as long as possible. Tastes evolve every seven to eight years, and the furniture makers have found that if reupholstery is put on the table, it is often preferable to clients. ‘Companies we work with are under a lot of scrutiny. If you were to show them two chairs side-by-side – one brand new, one refurbished – they’ll often go for the refurbished one because it aligns them with the best environmental practice,’ says Barrell. Now there’s 360-degree thinking.
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