Vestre, a maker of urban furniture, recently announced that it has added carbon metrics for every product in its latest catalogue; to be specific, Environmental Product Declarations (ISO 14025), or EPDs. Along with dimensions, price and other specifications, the catalogue lists an item's carbon footprint in kilograms, and energy used to produce it in megajoules. While other brands display CO2 emissions for a few products or a specific collection, Vestre is the first furniture brand to do so for all of its products.
Just as food labels allow consumers to compare nutritional values, Vestre's EPDs allow buyers to easily compare the environmental impact of outdoor benches or planters to make an informed decision. For municipal and corporate clients, consultants and architects, having this level of information allows them to factor in the carbon footprint of every element of a larger project. Which becomes a competitive advantage for Vestre and could nudge competitors to do the same.
For Vestre, which is a family-owned company, adding carbon metrics is part of a much wider, long-term commitment to being as environmentally sound as possible, and it's positioning itself as a leader in that space. One to be inspired by! If you sell to consumers, could you present similar information to help people make better choices? As with food labels, creating an industry-wide standard seems the way to go.
