What Does "Sustainable Furniture" Actually Mean in Numbers? The Wehlers Answer.
"Sustainable furniture." It is one of the most overused phrases in the industry. Every manufacturer claims it. Almost none of them can prove it.
At Wehlers, we made a decision early on: if we cannot quantify it, we will not claim it. Every environmental statement we make is backed by third-party verified data. Here is what that actually looks like in numbers.
15.2 kg CO₂e — What It Means and Why It Matters
The R.U.M. Chair Original (four-leg base, no upholstery) has a verified carbon footprint of maximum 15.2 kg CO₂e per chair.
This figure is measured across the full product lifecycle — raw material extraction, manufacturing, transport, and end-of-life — using the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. It has been independently verified by Quantified Impacts, a specialist lifecycle assessment consultancy.
To put 15.2 kg CO₂e in context:
| Chair type | Estimated carbon footprint |
|---|---|
| Conventional virgin polypropylene stacking chair | ~60–80 kg CO₂e |
| Premium upholstered office chair (virgin materials) | ~150–200 kg CO₂e |
| R.U.M. Chair by Wehlers (no upholstery) | max. 15.2 kg CO₂e |
The reduction comes from one source above all others: replacing virgin plastic with 100% post-consumer recycled polypropylene. Making a kilo of recycled PP uses a fraction of the energy required to produce virgin PP from crude oil.
100% Recycled Materials — Three Waste Streams, One Chair
The R.U.M. Chair is available in three material variants, each sourced from a different post-consumer waste stream:
Fisherman's Green — made from discarded ocean fishing nets. Ghost nets are one of the most damaging forms of marine pollution, entangling wildlife and persisting in the ocean for decades. Wehlers processes these nets into high-quality polypropylene granules for the chair shell.
Keyboard Black — made from corporate e-waste: discarded computers, servers, and electronic equipment. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams globally. The plastic casings, once destined for incineration or landfill, become the material for one of the most durable contract chairs on the market.
Pharma Blue — made from pharmaceutical and medical industrial waste, including injection pen casings and packaging. Wehlers worked with Novo Nordisk as part of their Circular4Zero programme to establish the collection infrastructure for this material stream.
The metal frame across all variants is made from 100% recycled steel.
The Full CO₂ Footprint Table
Footprints vary slightly by model and upholstery option. Here are the verified figures:
| Model | Material | No upholstery | Re-Wool upholstery | Sport upholstery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original | Fisherman's Green / Keyboard Black | 15.2 kg | 21.2 kg | 18.5 kg |
| Original | Pharma Blue | 15.1 kg | 21.1 kg | 18.4 kg |
| Armrest | Fisherman's Green / Keyboard Black | 17.5 kg | 23.5 kg | 20.8 kg |
| Armrest | Pharma Blue | 17.4 kg | 23.3 kg | 20.6 kg |
| Sledge | Fisherman's Green / Keyboard Black | 17.5 kg | 23.5 kg | 20.8 kg |
| Sledge | Pharma Blue | 17.4 kg | 23.3 kg | 20.6 kg |
| Barstool | Fisherman's Green / Keyboard Black | 19.0 kg | 25.0 kg | 22.3 kg |
| Barstool | Pharma Blue | 18.9 kg | 24.9 kg | 22.2 kg |
All figures are in kg CO₂e per chair, verified under EU PEF methodology.
Zero Landfill — The Take-Back Guarantee
A low carbon footprint at production is only half the picture. What happens at end of life matters equally.
Every R.U.M. Chair comes with the Wehlers Take-Back Guarantee: when the chairs reach end of use, Wehlers collects them and recycles 100% of the polypropylene and steel — zero landfill, zero incineration. The material enters the next production cycle.
This is not a voluntary scheme. It is a contractual guarantee included in every order, documented for your ESG reporting.
The real-world proof: the same R.U.M. Chairs have passed through four ownership cycles — from LEGO to Lifestyle & Design Cluster to Keepr.com — with Wehlers maintaining the chain of custody at every transfer. Read the full Four Lives case study →
How to Use This Data in Your ESG Report
The verified footprint data is formatted for direct use in:
- GHG Protocol Scope 3, Category 1 reporting (purchased goods and services)
- CSRD disclosure (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)
- DGNB and LEED building certification processes
- B Corp impact assessment
- Internal sustainability KPIs and supplier audits
Wehlers provides per-order documentation on request, including recycled content certificates and take-back confirmation.
The Full Technical Documentation
For architects, specifiers, and procurement teams who need the complete technical picture:
→ Full CO₂ data, PEF verification, and LCA methodology
→ BIM files, EPD data, and DGNB/LEED fact sheets
→ Request verified data for your ESG report
All carbon footprint figures are third-party verified by Quantified Impacts under EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. Wehlers is a certified B Corp.
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