Furniture manufacturer for Australian workplaces, schools and homes, Koskela, has committed to total circularity by 2027 in its inaugural Circularity Action Plan.

“The term ‘sustainable business’ has lost its meaning and if the climate crisis is telling us one thing, it’s that we’re not doing enough,” Koskela co-founder and CEO, Sasha Titchkosky said.

“We can’t just tree-plant our way out of this. Going circular is the best way for many businesses to decouple growth (and revenue) from an increased carbon footprint, while also minimising virgin material extraction.”

By 2027, all furniture produced by Koskela will be repairable, reusable, or recyclable. The manufacturer is eliminating waste at all stages of operations from design to materials and production, as well as introducing services that enable their products to recirculate through repair, trade-in and resell programs. 

Titchkosky, who co-founded Koskela over 20 years ago, hopes other businesses will work towards a circular model. “We’re working with some of the world’s leading corporations and educational institutions to influence the way they think about product design, its functional life and beyond, when we can repurpose and recycle those materials.”

Corporations like NAB, Suncorp and Flinders University have fitted out their buildings with Koskela furniture that can adapt to changing environments with modular capabilities, be repaired or renewed when required and soon, even be returned for re-homing once no longer needed.

In addition to the business and education sectors, Koskela is also helping homes become more circular. The initiatives being taken toward circularity by 2027 and reaching absolute-zero carbon emissions across all three scopes by 2035 include:

  • Repair & ReHome – offering repair services and launching an online marketplace for pre-loved and refurbished Koskela furniture. Incentivising customers to trade in furniture they no longer need, ensuring materials are recycled if the products cannot be repaired.
  • Consciously crafted – designing and manufacturing products on-shore that are flexible, fit for purpose and made to last. By 2024, all Koskela sofa covers will be removable for cleaning and repairs.
  • No carbon offsetting – Koskela is no longer claiming to be carbon neutral. Instead, allocating their carbon offset budget towards research and development that will eliminate emissions completely.
  • 90% recycled materials – Koskela aims to stop using virgin materials and ensure that by 2026, 90% of all products are manufactured using recycled and recyclable materials.