Circular instead of fast furniture—we need to give furniture a second life. 🪑🔄
What happens when four perspectives—each originating at very different points in the furniture cycle—come together?
During the Circular Talk titled “Circular Instead of Fast Furniture,” it quickly became clear: The solutions are out there—and they’re diverse.
Christian de Kraker of Auping demonstrated how consistent circular design is already working today: Auping aims to become fully circular by 2030. In its circular mattresses, materials are used in such a way that the individual fibers can be reused after use—up to eight times. A product passport, separable materials, and the elimination of adhesives and foam are all part of the concept.
Ulrike Acker-Thomsen of CIRC&LOV shared her perspective from the fields of interior design and design: Used furniture doesn’t have to be discarded. It can be creatively transformed and integrated into new projects in a demonstrably circular way. Her approach combines an assessment of existing resources, an analysis of potential, a creative process, prototyping, and impact calculation.
Jan-Christoph Ziolek of Rent.Group made it clear just how much our relationship with furniture can change as a result: use instead of owning. With a shared pool of more than 7 million items and over 30 locations, the product becomes a resource that is meant to be used for as long as possible and as intensively as possible.
And Michael Fehsenfeld of Sedus demonstrated with S:ircle how an established furniture manufacturer approaches circularity as a holistic business model: rental, purchase of used items, take-back, and refurbishment are integrated into a single system. The shift from ownership to usage creates economic, operational, and environmental value.
What do all four perspectives have in common?
We need a cultural shift.
After all, circular furniture can only work on a large scale if our perception of value also changes.
A piece of furniture with signs of wear isn't automatically worth less.
A refurbished piece of furniture isn't "second-class furniture."
And a product doesn't have to be new to be relevant.
As Rent.Group so aptly puts it: “Products don’t have to be new. They just have to remain relevant.”
This requires regulations that hold circular business models and manufacturers more accountable. And it requires a constantly evolving narrative that highlights the value of repair, reuse, refurbishment, and a second life—for both B2B and B2C.
Because we can't make this journey on our own.
We need manufacturers, retailers, designers, planners, companies, customers, policymakers, and the many stakeholders in between who make new cycles possible.
That’s exactly why forums like our Circular Talk are so important: to bring together different perspectives, learn from one another, and turn individual solutions into collective change.
Thank you to our four wonderful panelists—Christian de Kraker, Ulrike Acker-Thomsen, Jan-Christoph Ziolek, and Michael Fehsenfeld—for their many insights, and to everyone who joined the discussion, asked questions, and helped make the evening a success. 🙌
Circular Furniture Instead of Fast Furniture.
Not someday. Right now.
Photos: Thies Ibold