Fermob and the Eco Impact Score
Environmental considerations are becoming an increasingly important part of furniture specification. For architects, interior designers and procurement teams working on hospitality, leisure and commercial projects, understanding how a product is made, how long it can remain in service and what happens at the end of its life can be just as important as its appearance.
Fermob has been working on these issues for many years. The French furniture manufacturer has developed an approach that considers environmental impact from product design and manufacturing through to repair, reuse and end of life. Its latest development takes this further by assessing the environmental impact of individual furniture products through Life Cycle Assessment and presenting the results through the Eco Impact Score.
From Eco-Design to Measurable Environmental Impact
Fermob says that eco-design has been part of its approach for more than 30 years, with environmental considerations incorporated from the design stage through to the end of a product’s life.
That approach covers much more than material choices. Fermob highlights its efforts to reduce energy and water consumption, limit production waste, optimise packaging and develop furniture designed for long-term use.
Its manufacturing processes include a solvent-free polyester powder coating system, with unused powder recovered and reused. Fermob also reports reductions in water and energy consumption and the recovery of heat from its manufacturing processes.
For a furniture manufacturer, these are important considerations because a single material or manufacturing process does not determine environmental impact. It results from a product’s complete life cycle.
Why Materials Matter
Steel and aluminium are central to the Fermob collection. Fermob identifies both materials as highly recyclable and reports a recycling rate of up to 98% for its principal metal materials.
Another important consideration for outdoor furniture is durability. Fermob designs its metal furniture for outdoor use and applies surface treatments and high-performance outdoor paint to protect against corrosion. Its Anti-Corrosion Performance Rating (IPAC) considers a product’s design, materials, and surface treatment, and Fermob states that its furniture has a minimum IPAC rating of 6 on a scale from 1 to 10.
For commercial projects, durability and environmental considerations therefore overlap. A chair, table, or lounger designed to withstand demanding outdoor conditions and remain in service for many years has a different lifecycle proposition than a product intended for short-term use.
Repairability and Recyclability
Fermob has also developed its own internal indicators to consider what happens to products during and after their useful life.
The IREP repairability index considers three factors: how easily a product can be taken apart, the availability of spare parts and the level of technical expertise required to carry out repairs.
The IRCY recyclability index considers a product’s recycling potential, including the materials used, how easily different materials can be separated, potential recycling obstacles, and the maturity of relevant recycling processes.
These considerations form part of Fermob’s product design process and are intended to encourage longer product lifespans.
Fermob also provides spare parts for selected furniture and lighting products. These include items such as protective pads, glide pads, cushion covers, diffusers and power supplies, allowing components to be replaced rather than necessarily replacing an entire product.
Introducing the Eco Impact Score
The next step in Fermob’s approach is its use of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to measure the environmental impact of its products.
Rather than looking at just one environmental characteristic, an LCA considers multiple stages in the life of a product. According to Fermob, its assessments are multi-stage and multi-criteria, evaluating between 12 and 16 impact criteria covering areas such as air, water, biodiversity and climate.
Eco Impact describes the underlying approach in similar terms. Its methodology considers the complete product life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, transport and end of life, while also incorporating qualitative environmental and social criteria.
For furniture, Fermob presents results as a letter and colour score. This provides a more accessible way of communicating the results of a much broader assessment.
Fermob reports that 81% of its products have received an A or B classification, including 52% receiving an A. These figures are Fermob’s published results from its product assessments and are presented as part of its wider environmental programme.
Importantly, Fermob says that it works with Eco Impact as an independent third-party partner in relation to the authenticity and accuracy of its product scores.
The Ange Chair: Environmental Information at Product Level
The Fermob Ange Chair provides a useful example of how this information is now being presented.
Designed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Ange combines a distinctive decorative form with Fermob’s established metalworking expertise. The chair uses a steel wire frame, a perforated steel sheet seat, and a steel wire backrest and armrests, with hand-forged and laser-cut details.
It is also designed for practical commercial use. The chair has an anti-UV polyester powder coating, stacks up to three chairs, and benefits from Fermob’s outdoor anti-corrosion protection.
On Fermob’s current product page, an Eco Impact Score appears alongside the product information, making the environmental assessment part of the product specification rather than a separate corporate sustainability statement.
That is an important development for professional specification. Instead of asking only whether a manufacturer has an environmental policy, designers and specifiers can increasingly look at information relating to the individual product being considered for a project.
What This Means for Contract Furniture Specification
Environmental information is becoming more useful when it is connected to the actual products being specified.
For a hospitality terrace, hotel courtyard, restaurant, public space or other commercial environment, a designer may need to consider several factors simultaneously: appearance, comfort, durability, maintenance, materials, repairability, recyclability and the expected service life of the furniture.
Fermob’s approach brings several of these considerations together. Its metal furniture is designed for demanding outdoor conditions; its products incorporate repairability and recyclability considerations; spare parts are available for selected products; and it uses Life Cycle Assessment to assess environmental impact across multiple stages of a product’s life.
The result is a more detailed picture of what sits behind a piece of furniture than simply describing it as ‘sustainable ‘.
French Design with a Longer-Term Perspective
Fermob remains particularly well known for its distinctive use of colour and its French approach to outdoor furniture design. But behind that visual identity is a manufacturing philosophy that has increasingly focused on durability, resource efficiency and product longevity.
For commercial interiors and outdoor spaces, this combination is especially relevant. Furniture must perform in real environments, often under much higher use than domestic products, while designers are increasingly required to consider the environmental implications of their specifications.
The Eco Impact Score adds another layer of information to that decision-making process. Rather than relying solely on broad environmental claims, it provides a product-level assessment based on Life Cycle Assessment and additional environmental and social criteria.
Explore Fermob Contract Furniture
At Contract Furniture Store, we supply Fermob furniture for hospitality, leisure and commercial projects, including outdoor seating, tables, lounge furniture and lighting.
Fermob’s collection is particularly suited to restaurants, hotels, cafés, terraces, public spaces, and other commercial environments that require durable outdoor furniture and strong design.
Explore Fermob furniture or discover our Fermob modern outdoor furniture collection for commercial projects.
If you are specifying Fermob for a project, contact Contract Furniture Store with your requirements, and we can provide project pricing and specification support.