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CARBON FOOTPRINT OF FURNITURE PRODUCTS
Abstract
Climate change is one of the most important environmental issues and concerns facing the modern society. In order to address the causes of climate change, governments around the world have agreed on targets for the reduction of harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A number of greenhouse gases impact the environment negatively, and the most significant of these is the carbon dioxide. Therefore the GHG emission reduction commitments are expressed in the form of carbon reduction where the term carbon means carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) – a measurement that expresses the environmental effect of GHGs in terms of the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that would cause the same effect. The effect of a certain business, process, product or service can be evaluated in terms of the GHG emissions it generates and is commonly referred to as a ‘carbon footprint’.
Furniture industry, like many other manufacturing industries, generates carbon emissions. Therefore there is a great scope for the industry to assess and reduce its carbon impact. One of the major stimuli for carrying out this research is the lack of information about carbon footprint of furniture industry as well as the lack of understanding and fragmented approach to carbon footprinting.
The key finding from this study is that the embedded carbon contained within the materials and technological processes used for the manufacture of the furniture products are the highest contributors to the carbon footprint. Thus reducing the materials used in a product, or selecting lower impact (environmental-friendly) materials can considerably reduce the carbon footprint of furniture products.
Many industries are actively engaged in environmental concerns and innovations. Among them, the furniture industry is also experiencing changes locally and globally and in its value chain. This article takes the furniture industry in the Vietnam market as the primary context. Although Vietnam is one of the largest exporters of wooden furniture abroad, as in some countries globally, environmental sustainability in design and production is still limited. In fact, various studies have shown that many consumers are willing to pay high prices for products with environmental protection factors. In addition, sometimes they turn their hobbies into new lifestyles and different trends. Therefore, to penetrate this emerging green product market, environmental factors have been identified as key design elements for sustainability. This study demonstrates the reference between theory and practice to advise on ecological innovation strategy of furniture enterprises, specifically furniture manufacturing enterprises in the Vietnam market. To do this, firms need to understand the core relationship between perception of environmental sustainability, lifestyle, green purchasing behavior, and eco-innovation. From there, they can orient eco-innovation in their organization’s activities and business processes. Therefore, this relationship will be explored in this study.