The European Union aims to achieve full circularity and climate neutrality by 2050, as outlined in the European Green Deal. Since 2019, it has launched a range of policies - such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) - to drive investment and action toward a fair, sustainable, and inclusive transition.
In this context, FurnSERVICE supports European furniture manufacturers in enhancing their environmental performance - not only through product ecodesign, but by encouraging the shift to servitization-based business models. This strategic approach helps align the sector more deeply with circular economy principles.
The project will also foster social dialogue at regional, national, and EU levels, offering key insights and policy recommendations to address the challenges of circular transition. In parallel, it will equip companies and workers with the knowledge, skills, tools, and guidance needed for an effective shift - while also addressing the sector's growing talent attraction gap.
Specific Objectives
FurnSERVICE aims to strengthen knowledge, tools, and dialogue around Circular Business Models (CBMs) in the EU furniture sector. Its key objectives are:
Advance cross-sectoral knowledge on existing and emerging CBMs through targeted research, enhancing the quality of social dialogue at EU, national, and sectoral levels.
Assess the sector’s maturity in adopting CBMs via an EU-wide survey, enabling evidence-based adaptation of project outputs.
Develop and validate practical guidelines (available in 10 EU languages) for implementing servitization-based CBMs in furniture companies, with input from 50+ industry and circular economy experts.
Create a tailored self-assessment tool (available in 10 EU languages) to help companies evaluate their readiness for circular transformation and identify priority actions.
Pilot the self-assessment tool with at least 18 companies across six EU countries, generating actionable insights and dissemination materials.
Identify key green skills and knowledge gaps for employers and employees, and issue recommendations to support workforce development across sectors.
Facilitate peer learning through three international webinars and three study visits to leading circular economy initiatives.
Ensure wide dissemination of all results through multilingual materials, including a comprehensive implementation guide and digital resources.
Design a follow-up plan to sustain project impact, inviting new stakeholders to join post-project efforts.
Deliverables
FurnSERVICE will produce the following key deliverables:
- Handbook: A multilingual guide (10 EU languages, print and PDF) for employers, workers, and stakeholders on implementing circular business models through product servitization in the furniture sector.
- Self-Assessment Tool: An online tool (available in 10 EU languages) enabling furniture companies to evaluate their readiness for circular business models and identify priority areas for improvement.
- Pilot Implementation: Validation of the self-assessment tool with 18+ EU companies. Insights will be summarised in practical info-cards highlighting key priorities for circular transformation.
- Skills & Knowledge Report: An updated analysis of the green skills and knowledge needed by employers and employees (building on SAWYER and FurnCIRCLE, using ESCO v1.2), with recommendations for supporting CBM adoption across sectors.
- Webinar Videos: Recordings of three international webinars, accessible on the project website.
- Follow-Up Plan: A roadmap to ensure continued impact and stakeholder engagement beyond the project’s lifetime.
