“Our goal in terms of the Circular Economy is simple but effective: successful corporate social responsibility with the focus on a sustainable world.”

To achieve this, we take steps in all areas that help us and our clients to create beautiful and functional furniture with as little impact on the earth as possible. In doing so, we do not only look at our own activities. We are also constantly looking for the optimal circular working methods with our suppliers and clients. We differentiate three activities in our approach:

Casala Collection & Circularity

The Casala furniture collection is extremely suitable for the Circular Economy. For all Casala products, we guarantee the recovery and re-use to the highest possible level according to the 10 R levels of circularity, including existing Casala products.

Circular Fingerprint

Several product ranges within our collection already have an exceptionally high content of recycled material. Within the Curvy and Feniks product families, a number of models, under Circular Guarantee, are furthermore provided with a guaranteed return value. As a result, the new owner is guaranteed a fixed residual value at the end of the usage cycle; the furniture is taken back by Casala and re-used to the highest possible level.

Commodity passport

Casala can supply a raw material passport for all its products, in which the composition of raw materials is recorded per product. In this way, users know exactly what they are purchasing, that no harmful substances have been used and the extent to which recycled materials have been used.

The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Casala products is currently being prepared. This will map the environmental performance of each product separately based on a complete Life Cycle Analysis.

Casala take back Guarantee

Do you have used Casala furniture? For all furniture produced by Casala, we guarantee take back and processing into new products. That also applies to >15-year-old furniture.

Sustainability in the genes

Since 2004 — the year we started developing the current collection in the Netherlands — Casala has been developing its products on a sustainable basis. Most of the products we have introduced since then, such as Curvy and Feniks, are still current more than 15 years after their introduction. Depending on the type of upholstery used, they consist of 100% recyclable raw materials.

Various projects have now been realised in which old Curvy and Feniks chairs have been refurbished into new chairs. After a long and rewarding use with a first owner, the chairs get a valuable second life with a new owner. Other Casala programmes have also been developed in accordance with these sustainability principles.

“In short: we applied the circular principles to all new Casala products long before there was talk of a Circular Economy.”

Materials

Seat & backrest

• The Omega seating range has shells made from 100% recycled PET felt, these are attached to the frame without glue and tape.
• On request, Casala supplies sustainable woods with an FSC® or PEFC quality mark and is itself FSC® and PEFC certified. In this way, Casala guarantees that its products have a sustainable origin, using wood from a renewable source.
• The Casala Curvy Circular Family is made from 100% recycled plastic seats and backrests.
• The core of the upholstered shell parts of the Curvy Family and Feniks is made of recycled PEFC wood.

Foam filling

• Mainly all our soft seating products (sofas and armchairs) are filled with Naturalis foam; a foam where as much fossil oil as possible is replaced with plant castor oil.
• The moulded foam used by Casala is very resilient and extremely sustainable. There is no sagging and the sitting comfort remains unchanged over the years. This moulded foam is a sustainable material and less harmful to the environment than the widely used standard CMHR cold foam.
• All the necessary foam is delivered for its specific order and with the appropriate shape. Our production generates very little foam residue. Our foam suppliers collect the residual foam and turn it into polypress (often used as an acoustic foam) or other composite foam products, such as cushion fillings, etc. This ensures that no waste is created.
• By using No Sag springs we reduce the foam volumes in our soft seating products and extend their lifespan.

Frames

• The tubing and wire frames used by Casala contain a maximum amount of recycled metal. This proportion largely depends on the available quantity of secondary steel and the specific requirements that have to be met with regard to the strength of the steel. This proportion is currently around 80%, depending on the specific product.
• Steel is an ecologically responsible material because it is completely recyclable and in principle not subject to wear and tear. Recycling of scrap steel is carried out by a local partner.
• The aluminium parts of Casala furniture are made from 100% recycled aluminium.
• Frames can be powder coated, which is an environmentally friendly alternative to wet paint. No solvents are used in powder coating. Powder coating is free from heavy metals and other toxic substances and is 100% consumed; no residue is produced.
• Because of their long lifespan, many steel frames are chrome-plated. All chrome-plated parts of Casala furniture are coated with Chrome-3. Chrome-3, unlike Chrome-6, is a healthy and ecologically responsible choice. Chrome-3 is a substance that is naturally occurring in the body and is harmless to humans. No harmful materials are released during the production process. That is why Chrome-3 is not on the Cradle-to-Cradle list of “banned substances”. Steel frames with Chrome-3 have a much longer lifespan and a low environmental impact compared to powder coated frames during production. This makes Chrome-3 the optimal choice for the Circular Economy.

Tabletops

• Casala uses sustainable wood species with the FSC® or PEFC label and is also FSC® and PEFC certified.
• Plywood and MDF board materials bear the PEFC 100% recyclable label.
• Particleboard contains 85% recycled material, is PEFC certified and 100% recyclable.
• The wood recycling is well organised at Casala. Using a pellet press, pellets are pressed from our own sawdust and finely ground waste wood. These pellets are then used in a pellet boiler to heat the production site.
• The HPL used is 100% circular.

Upholstery

• Upholstery options that are produced from 100% recycled threads are available from multiple suppliers.
• Bonding of the upholstery is avoided as much as possible in order to make disassembly and separation of materials easier after prolonged use of the furniture.

Miscellaneous

• Casala’s floor glides are 100% recyclable and often consist of 100% recycled material themselves. The floor glides are subject to a take-back obligation for our supplier.
• The Kwart cabinet is produced from OSB plate. This material is produced from small timber (otherwise unusable residual wood from production forests) and is 100% recyclable.
• Casala uses Zifra: a Tag for digital chair numeration whereby the display works with a unique technology, without a battery. As a result, no chemical waste is produced during the entire life cycle.

Certification

Casala is a progressive Dutch furniture manufacturer with over 100 years of experience.  We want to reduce the impact of our activities on the environment for the next generation in the right way. Independent evidence of our sustainable actions and the certificates that we, our co-makers, suppliers, transporters and other partners in the supply chain have, are backed up by the regular audits.

Environmental certificates and standards

• Casala is ISO 9001 & 14001, FSC® and PEFC certified
• Suppliers in the supply chain are ISO 9001 & 14001, FSC® and PEFC certified
• Practically all products containing wood can be supplied with an FSC® or PEFC claim.

Quality certificates and standards

• NEN-EN 16139:2013: The majority of Casala chair programmes hold the NEN-EN 16139:2013 certificate. This European quality standard sets requirements for the strength, safety and sustainability of all types of seats for non-domestic use by adults, including visitors’ and conference chairs.
• EN15372:2016: The majority of Casala’s table programmes are EN15372:2016 certified. This European quality standard sets requirements for the strength, safety and durability of all types of non-household tables.
• Geprüfte Sicherheit (“Tested Safety”): Much of the Casala furniture has the ‘Geprüfte Sicherheit’ (GS) seal of approval. This is a quality label for the technical equipment (strength) of our furniture. It indicates that the furniture and the production method comply with German and, where applicable, European safety requirements for this type of furniture.
• NPR 8313: NEN drafts a Dutch guideline for definitions and measurement methods for circular contract furniture in cooperation with partners. Casala has been an active member of the project group since its inception. With our circular approach, our newly manufactured products and ReFurniture, we comply with the principles set out in this directive well before it is published.

INSIDE/INSIDE partner

Casala is a Launching Partner of the INSIDE/INSIDE platform; an independent online platform that provides an objective insight into how sustainable, circular and healthy an interior may be. This platform is in development, but it will become the standard for independent measurement of the environmental performance of interior products in the Netherlands. The platform is also in compliance with the European standards which are under development. INSIDE/INSIDE covers the entire interior, from floor, wall and ceiling to furniture. The most important contract furniture manufacturers are now connected.

How it works

Interior architects, facility managers, project developers and consumers select interior products and materials. They can then read detailed information about this and view and compare reliable data on the environmental and health impact. This data can even be viewed at project level by adding the numbers or m².

In a single overview, you can see the impact the interior has on the environment and the components that influence it. This saves users time and money, because it makes collecting information about the sustainability of an interior a lot easier.

All information on INSIDE/INSIDE is based on LCAs (Life Cycle Analysis), which have been independently verified by a certified LCA consultant. The LCA describes and measures the environmental and health impacts and circularity of a product, from the raw material production up to the end of its life cycle, energy use, emissions and any waste generated.

Casala has performed an LCA for various models and is actively working on the LCA descriptions for its other furniture lines.