Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based tools for the eco-design of wooden furniture

The European furniture sector is dynamic and competitive, currently facing a transition to further increase the environmental sustainability and circularity of its products. Literature on this topic is relatively abundant and authors converge in the identification of the main sustainability criteria. Nevertheless, defining which sustainability criteria should be prioritized is still open to question. This is due to the high number of variables in the life cycle of furniture and also the specific characteristics of each piece of furniture. In this context, this paper has developed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based tool that considers the main materials and processes typically used in the furniture sector. The tool is provided both as a model to be imported in an LCA software (for use by LCA-experts) and as a spreadsheet document (for use by non LCA-experts or for quick analyses). Both of these versions of the tool contain editable parameters that allow the model to be adapted to specific pieces of furniture. In addition, both versions have been tested using the case study of a wooden armchair conceived and produced by an Italian architectural and design firm. The tool has made it possible to quantify the environmental impacts of the armchair and the evaluation of four possible scenarios to enhance its environmental sustainability. This work can therefore guide the actors in furniture value chains as to the choice of the criteria able to maximise the furniture sustainability throughout its life cycle.