IBA editorial team Public procurement plays a decisive role in shaping how workplaces in administration, education and infrastructure are equipped – and, consequently, how many resources are consumed in the process. Across Europe, the procurement of office and contract furniture is increasingly becoming a lever for climate protection and the circular economy. Belgium and Italy are among the countries where environmental and circular criteria are already firmly embedded in procurement practices. At the same time, neighbouring countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and France are pursuing their own approaches, ranging from second-life strategies to binding reuse quotas.
The European framework: EU GPP criteria and Level as key reference frameworks
At EU level, the Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria provide a general framework. For the product group “furniture”, they distinguish between the procurement of new furniture, the refurbishment of existing items and end-of-life services. Among other things, they recommend:
- the use of wood from legal and preferably certified sources,
- limits for VOC and formaldehyde emissions,
- requirements for durability, repairability and availability of spare parts,
- ease of disassembly and material separation, and
- the inclusion of warranties and service agreements.
Although the GPP criteria are formally voluntary, they offer public authorities a practical set of formulations that can be directly integrated into tender documents. In parallel, the European furniture industry has established its own certification system with the FEMB Level standard, which consolidates key sustainability requirements for office furniture into a single label. Many of these criteria are also highly relevant for public procurement.
What are the EU GPP criteria for furniture?
The EU GPP (Green Public Procurement) criteria are voluntary guidelines issued by the European Commission for environmentally friendly public procurement. For furniture, they distinguish between new products, refurbished items and end-of-life services, and recommend, amongst other things:
- Certified timber origin
- Limitation of emissions (e.g. VOCs, formaldehyde)
- Durability, reparability and availability of spare parts
- Dismantlable, recycling-friendly designs
- Warranties and services
Public contracting authorities can incorporate these text modules directly into tenders, thereby systematically embedding environmental and circular economy considerations.
Further information
Belgium: Sustainability as an integral part of furniture tenders
In Belgium, public procurement of office furniture is guided by the European GPP recommendations, which have gradually been translated into national action plans and guidelines for environmentally responsible procurement. As a result, tender documents frequently include requirements regarding material origin – such as FSC or PEFC-certified wood – complemented by criteria for durability, repairability and replaceability of components. Additional requirements typically address emission limits and hazardous substances, as well as the need for verifiable environmental and quality labels such as the Blue Angel, FSC, PEFC, or the European Level standard. At the same time, Belgium is working to further integrate circular approaches. This includes discussions and pilot projects around second-life concepts for used furniture, central storage systems and refurbishment solutions for public administration. While Belgium follows European procurement directives from a regulatory perspective, it actively utilises the flexibility they offer with regard to environmental and social criteria. As a result, sustainability has become a clearly defined component of procurement decisions rather than a mere “nice to have”.
Italy: Legally binding minimum environmental criteria
Compared to other European countries, Italy has adopted one of the most comprehensive approaches. EU GPP recommendations have not only been translated into national guidelines but have been made legally binding. Article 34 of the Public Procurement Code (Legislative Decree 50/2016) requires public authorities to include the so-called Criteri Ambientali Minimi (CAM) – minimum environmental criteria – in their tender documents. With the new procurement code (Legislative Decree 36/2023), this obligation has been further strengthened and extended to all product categories covered by ministerial decrees. For interior and office furniture, an updated CAM decree has been in force since December 2022. It requires public authorities to explicitly define environmental criteria in procurement processes, including aspects such as material origin and recycled content, chemical use and coatings, lifecycle considerations, and the potential for repair, refurbishment and reuse. Extending product lifespan through repair or donation is explicitly prioritised. Compliance can be demonstrated through Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), the EU Ecolabel or other recognised third-party certifications. For manufacturers wishing to participate in public tenders in Italy, CAM compliance is therefore no longer optional but a prerequisite for market access.
Germany: Guidelines and circular furniture initiatives
In Germany, federal and regional authorities have developed a range of guidelines for the sustainable procurement of office and contract furniture. These include requirements relating to timber sourcing, emissions, durability and recyclability. Increasingly, lifecycle considerations are also taken into account, with recommendations to assess total cost of ownership and include criteria such as repairability, spare parts availability and take-back schemes in contracts. A prominent practical example is Deutsche Bahn. Since early 2026, the company has been able to procure “circular furniture” across the group for the first time – professionally refurbished desks, task chairs and other office furniture made available via a central platform. According to Deutsche Bahn, this approach reduces both resource consumption and CO₂ emissions compared to purchasing new products, while also avoiding waste. The strategy is clear: circular furniture is to be prioritised in the future, with new products only used where capacity or specific requirements make it necessary. At the same time, ecological criteria such as durability, repairability and reusability are also applied to new procurements. For manufacturers and suppliers, this represents a shift: beyond delivering new products, refurbishment capabilities, take-back processes and digital documentation (e.g. CO₂ savings) are becoming key differentiators.
Level certification in German procurement: Potential and challenges
Alongside the growing importance of circular criteria, discussions are ongoing in Germany about how the European Level standard can be integrated into public procurement. While the federal “Kompass Nachhaltigkeit” platform lists office furniture among its product groups, it has not yet clearly classified Level as equivalent to established labels such as the Blue Angel. However, individual municipalities are already applying the standard in practice. A recent example is the city of Solingen, which explicitly required the FEMB Level certification at the highest level (Level 3) in an EU-wide framework contract for sustainable office furniture, alongside FSC or PEFC certification, the Blauer Engel and ISO 14001. Sustainability criteria accounted for 20% of the evaluation. This example demonstrates that, even if Level is not yet uniformly integrated into procurement frameworks, it already provides a legally robust and practical basis for tendering at the municipal level.
The FEMB-Level-Standard at a glance
Level is a European sustainability standard for office and contract furniture developed by the umbrella organisation FEMB. The certification system assesses products across four key areas:
- Materials, energy and resource use
- Chemicals management
- Product life cycle and recyclability
- Social responsibility
Level has three performance categories (1–3) and is explicitly approved as a product label in several European procurement projects, including those of EU institutions, as proof of compliance with sustainability requirements.
Further information
The Netherlands: Circular procurement at scale
The Netherlands is widely regarded as a pioneer in circular procurement. A notable example is the circular tender for equipping around 100,000 workplaces within the Dutch central government. Instead of focusing primarily on purchasing new furniture, the procurement strategy prioritised the repair, refurbishment and reuse of existing items, supplemented by new products designed for circularity from the outset. The approach was deliberately service-oriented: rather than procuring products, the contract focused on ensuring availability, maintenance and circular management of furniture. According to project reports, this model delivered not only environmental benefits but also potential cost savings of several million euros per year. This example has significantly influenced the European debate on circular public procurement, demonstrating that large-scale circular solutions can be both environmentally and economically viable – provided procurement strategies are adapted accordingly.
France: Reuse quotas embedded in legislation
With the Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law (AGEC), France has introduced a legal framework that actively promotes circular procurement. Since 2021, public authorities are required to ensure that a minimum share of procurement in certain product categories, including office furniture, consists of reused or recycled materials. Specifically, at least 20% of expenditure on office furniture must be allocated to products containing at least 20% reused, upcycled or recycled material. In addition, contracting authorities must systematically assess reuse and recycling options and, where appropriate, explicitly include them in tenders. Practical examples from cities such as Niort show how this can be implemented, with refurbished furniture procured for administrative buildings, often in collaboration with local social enterprises responsible for refurbishment.
What does this mean for the office furniture industry?
Across Europe, sustainability in public procurement is clearly shifting from recommendation to expectation – and, in some cases, already to obligation. For manufacturers, distributors and service providers, this means aligning products, services and business models with longer lifecycles, repairability and second-life use. This includes modular, durable furniture systems with transparent material sourcing and emission profiles, as well as take-back, refurbishment and reuse services. At the same time, usage-based and service-oriented models are gaining importance, with clear responsibilities for maintenance, adaptation and end-of-life management. Public procurement bodies, in turn, are shaping the framework conditions in which sustainable and circular solutions become visible and comparable. For the office furniture industry, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity: those who embed sustainability and circularity credibly into their offerings can position themselves strategically in a changing procurement landscape – and actively help shape the workplaces of tomorrow.
