Serving the Community While Keeping Commercial Furniture out of Landfills

Installnet, Bard College MBA sustainability program share lessons learned from more than a decade of furniture donations to more than 3,200 communities

• Setting the standard for cost-effective reuse will help drive a circular economy
• Innovative solutions needed for work surfaces and other hard-to-recycle materials

BOWIE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Getting gently used commercial furniture into the hands of community organizations and people that need it requires planning, collaboration, creativity and expertise, new research from commercial furniture solutions company Installnet and Bard College Sustainability MBA program finds. The paper, “Amplifying Community Benefits by Increasing Circularity of Office Furniture,” is part of a new collective to develop and implement real world solutions.

Installnet's Ecoserv program has diverted more than 52 million pounds of waste from landfill since 2012 through reuse, resale, relocation and recycling, including donations to groups in more than 3,200 communities across North America. The donations help local nonprofits, schools, first responders and other organizations devote more resources to their missions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that worsen climate change. Each year, more than 146 million tons of solid waste goes to landfills in the U.S., generating dangerous methane gas emissions that worsen climate change. That’s the equivalent of 20.3 million passenger cars on the road, according to the EPA. An estimated 9 million tons, close to half of that waste is furniture.

“Finding new homes for surplus furniture in a way that is cost effective, credible and sustainable is much more complicated than you might think,” said Installnet CEO Dale Ewing. “We’ve created a full-time outreach team that is uniquely resourceful, creative and committed to making a difference, in partnership with our clients and partners. By sharing what we’ve learned, and continue to learn, we hope to encourage others to embrace this approach, which not only helps the environment, it helps the community.”

This problem can only be solved by collaborating across the value chain to create consistent, credible standards and practices,” said Installnet CEO Dale Ewing. “We’re all struggling with issues like measuring our impact, identifying uses for items that can’t be recycled and finding cost effective ways to get furniture to people who need it. It’s time for players across the commercial real estate sector to come together and get zero done.”

Deanna Diaz, a student in the Bard College Sustainability MBA program, developed the research paper.

“Key recommendations for industry leaders include fostering partnerships within the industry, leveraging innovative strategies to address logistical challenges, and engaging in proactive outreach to build a network of recipients,” Diaz writes. “These steps enhance operational efficiency and align with broader sustainability goals, driving meaningful environmental and social impact.”

The research cites five examples of decommission projects that successfully matched unused furniture and other assets to community organizations. In Gresham, Oregon and Baltimore, Maryland, Installnet moved 90,000 assets out of two warehouses in six weeks, using employee sales, product resale, donations, and recycling to keep the items out of landfills. Older items were recycled and repurposed by a Montana nonprofit, the Kids Co-Op, which turned bamboo desks and laminate into flooring and tiny home building kits.

In another example, the school staff at Teague Middle School in Altamonte Springs, Florida, received a furniture donation from Installnet, and turned laminate work surfaces that cannot be recycled into 20 tables.

“This donation has been amazing for our entire school and has really improved our environment,” said Connie Collins, principal of Teague Middle School. “I know that this will give not only our teachers and counselors a boost, but all of our students too. Thank you so much for this great gift.”

The research is part of a collective founded by Installnet, called Ecoserv Net Zero (ENZO). The collective is sharing lessons learned and best practices in sustainable decommissions to create industry standards. It is also documenting processes, procedures and practices to become assurance ready and meet new reporting requirements.

Installnet is a recognized leader in sustainability. Its rapidly growing Ecoserv program keeps unused furniture and other assets in circulation, instead of sending them to landfill.

If you are interested in participating in the effort and getting zero done, please contact Lila Grant at [e-mail].

About Installnet

Installnet provides professional project management services in the United States and Canada. Our network of over 350 highly qualified independent furniture installation companies provide exceptional service in more than 100 major markets. Our custom solutions range from Ecoserv, an award-winning circular decommission program to Installhub, a self-serve platform of installation companies.

About The Bard MBA in Sustainability. Bard College's graduate business degree fully integrates a focus on mission-driven business. Ranked the #1 Green MBA three years running and the #2 MBA for Non-Profit Management by the Princeton Review, the program was also recognized as the #4 Worldwide in the "Better World MBA" ranking by Corporate Knights. Based in New York City, the program features one-weekend per month in-person instruction plus on-line structure to support working adult students from across the U.S.