Italian brand Palma goes green

With the return of Salone del Mobile in 2021, Italian furniture makers are ready for a new start, too. Palma, the chair manufacturer that today exports 80 per cent of its production to 50 countries worldwide, has just published a new catalogue focused on its brand Origins 1971. And there is also a big shift taking place at the company’s HQ in the Italian city of Udine. Few know that Palma has become one of the leaders of the green revolution in furniture making.

‘We are manufacturers. Unlike other big names, we actually make our products’, says Daniele Musig, Palma's owner. ‘Therefore, we are the one in charge of changing our processes. We committed to making the effort to achieve sustainability years ago. Now it’s time to make this visible.’

While Palma now also has its own brand, Origins 1971, which offers a large array of chairs and armchairs, it has for a long time worked as a supplier to other companies, in particular to IKEA. The Swedish giant embraced sustainability a long time ago and, to achieve this, encouraged its subcontractors to work with sustainability ratings, yearly reports on the reduction of carbon footprints and with a sharp focus on ecology. This is how Palma converted itself early to FSC wood and carbon-neutral products. ‘Regarding sustainability, IKEA does much better than its competitors – and we are on the same track’, says Musig.

Don’t look for plastic chairs in Palma’s new catalogue. The company has always focused on wood, and only introduced metal two years ago in order to meet specific design needs on a small number of products.

The company is also a leader in the use of FSC wood. ‘The quantity of chairs made from FSC wood that Palma sells in one year is much higher than any other chair maker in Western Europe’, boasts Musig. Moreover, 99 per cent of materials used by Palma are from renewable natural resources.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. A closer look shows that Palma generates more solar power than its production needs. Its premises are heated from wooden offcuts and water used in the production process that is treated as a precious resource. Overall, 80 per cent of the waste produced in manufacturing is recovered and recycled.

Palma also uses more water-based finishes than any other Italian chair maker and 70 per cent of the packaging used consists of recycled material and is 100 per cent recyclable itself. The design process is also central to achieving the company’s ambitious goals, with products designed and built to be robust and long lasting.

Palma’s commitment to a better future can also be seen on other levels. Looking out for the health, wellbeing and safety of all its workers is a key part of the company’s strategy. The key principle of the company’s Ethical Code is mutual respect between employees, suppliers and customers, and the rejection and reporting of all forms of discrimination and harassment.

Now, the company wants to set new standards for 2022. It aims to increase solar power production by 50 per cent, reduce energy consumption by 5 per cent, increase the use of materials that come from renewable resources, recycled material and components. In addition, it also wants to increase the recovery and recyclability levels of waste as well as starting a product renewal service.

There is little doubt as to where Musig stands on the issue: ‘I’m the owner of the company. I deal with the real figures. I’m on the frontline of this battle and I intend to hold this position. As manufacturers, we can’t fall behind with this movement.’

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