Extended producer responsibility (EPR), a cornerstone of the circular economy, places the onus on producers to financially support waste treatment and recovery systems, aimed at promoting product reuse and material recycling and reuse. Introduced at European level in the 1990s, starting with the packaging sector, this system has gradually embraced an increasingly wide range of waste fractions, including WEEE, batteries, tyres, waste oils and textiles.
Beyond the legislation, some sectors are taking voluntary action, such as the wood and furniture sector, moving ahead of the curve by transforming a possible future legal obligation into a strategic opportunity, thus becoming a champion of the momentous change that EPR will bring.
A supply chain worth over €51 billion in turnover
According to data from the FederlegnoArredo Research Centre, the wood-furniture supply chain concluded 2024 with a turnover of €51.7 billion, equal to 4.3% of the manufacturing sector. It counts almost 300,000 employees, amounting to 7.8% of the sector, and over 64,000 companies (14.7%).
Regarding the current year, interestingly, the trend in global exports, which account for over 50% of the sector, shows mature markets in difficulty (France -5.3%; Germany -2.4%) and emerging markets offering new opportunities. Overall, the EU27, which represents the main share of exports, recorded a decline of 1.1%, while non-EU markets grew by +2.5%, driven by the United Arab Emirates (+4.6%) and Canada (+7.0%). The Middle East as a whole is down (-3.3%), Asia is still showing a decline due to the performance of China (-9.2%) and Africa is growing (+15.9%).
As a result of the tariff war, attention is focused on the United States, the second-largest market overall and the largest outside the EU for this sector. Exports slowed by 15.2% in August 2025 compared to August 2024: a particularly significant figure, given that this is a month of normal activity for the US market.
The National Furniture System Consortium
Historically a pioneer of change, the sector has decided to take a chance, moving towards an increasingly circular production model. This is why, on 26 September 2024, the Consorzio Nazionale Sistema Arredo (National Furniture System Consortium, CNSA) was established, devised and promoted by FederlegnoArredo, together with around thirty companies in the sector with a combined turnover of almost three billion euros. This consortium project involves extended producer responsibility, guaranteeing the collection, recovery and recycling of furniture and other furnishing products, promoting reuse.
Last spring, the National Furniture System Consortium signed a programme agreement with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, kicking off a preliminary testing phase to collect data, opinions and best practices.
The purpose was understanding how furniture and other furnishings are managed at the end of their life cycle and improving the management of this category of waste. This will result in comprehensive mapping so that legislators can evaluate whether and how to design tailored EPR regulations.
Signed on Thursday 10 April 2025 at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the agreement envisages an analysis in four key areas (Milan, Treviso, Naples and Bari), as well as a series of consultations with representative associations at national level.
The mapping will put in order a very heterogeneous collection system, in which furniture, depending on the geographical area, is managed in association with other waste fractions. The resulting data will serve as a litmus test, for the ministry as well, to assess whether the time is ripe for an EPR in the sector.
In addition to the current diversity of the collection, end-of-life furniture has other special characteristics that must be taken into account: on one side, the multi-materiality, which complicates the separation of the different components; on the other, the long life cycle of these products, which makes it difficult to trace them and establish their value.
Heading towards an Italian scheme for EPR furniture
An environmental contribution will be used to financially support the future EPR system, to be included in the sale price of the furniture: it will be proportional to the size and type of product and will be established on the basis of archetypes (from chairs to large kitchens). Those who manufacture more sustainable and circular furniture will pay a lower contribution: a reward that will primarily incentivise recyclability, repairability and recycled content in new furniture.
The industry's idea is also to promote different business models. “Thanks to manufacturers' growing focus on eco-design, favouring reuse and repair, second-hand goods will enable the creation of new local supply chains and new lines of business for furniture companies,” explains Claudio Feltrin, president of FederlegnoArredo and CNSA. “The rising demand in Green Public Procurement – but also in the private sector – for furniture made from recycled or reused materials, as well as the secondary market, will support the Consortium’s work. Many drivers exist, from procurement to the youth market, who wish to purchase designer products but cannot afford them, whereas they could find them more easily on the secondary market.”
Studies have already been launched in some member companies on how to strengthen the repair chain and set up collection centres at their warehouses and points of sale. Moving from a repair service for customers to a fully integrated market, there is even the possibility of furniture rental, an option that could be appealing in various cases, such as offices, accommodation facilities of various sizes and cruise ships.
EPR furniture, the French experience
France already has a well-established EPR model in place, which Italy can use as a benchmark. Specifically, there are two different consortia operating across the Alps: Ecomaison for household furniture waste and Valdelia for non-household waste. Established in 2011 under the name Eco-mobilier, Ecomaison collected 1.7 million tonnes of end-of-life furniture in 2024, 97% of which was recovered through reuse, recycling and energy recovery. Initially founded by 24 distributors and manufacturers, the organisation now has 68 shareholders from a variety of sectors (furniture, bedding, DIY, gardening, toys, construction). It involves a total of 580 social and solidarity economy operators in the object reuse sector and offers French citizens around 12,000 collection points throughout the country. Similarly, Valdelia is a non-profit consortium created by manufacturers to circularise the professional furniture sector, for instance from hospitals, offices and hotels.
Other EU countries are also preparing for the EPR for wood-furniture, such as Spain and Portugal, which have enacted specific legislation; while Belgium, Germany and Hungary are focusing on the collection and recycling of mattresses. Alongside the French model, the Italian example is set to become a benchmark at the EU level.
Meeting at Ecomondo
Ecomondo, an event dedicated to the green and circular economy (scheduled for 4-7 November in Rimini), will be an opportunity to explore the theme of extended producer responsibility for the wood-furniture supply chain. The event will take place on Thursday 6 November, during the event Furniture and furnishing products from an EPR perspective. The new scenarios and the Italian project, organised by FederlegnoArredo and CNSA (RiminiFiera, Sala Ravezzi 2 South Hall, from 2.15 pm to 4 pm).
Cover: photo by Julian Hochgesang, Unsplash