As part of FRC Group, FRC Living operates in a sustainable manner and in line with the FRC Group Sustainability Policy.

FRC Group is a collection of sustainable social businesses.  FRC Group’s vision is of a society where people can obtain good quality, affordable furniture without experiencing the devastating impacts of furniture poverty.  Our mission is to reduce and ultimately eradicate furniture poverty. Each of our businesses has different contributions and effects on our sustainability.

When we talk about sustainability, we mean:

– Social sustainability (affecting people and communities)

– Economic sustainability (financial viability and value for money)

– Environmental sustainability (our impact on the environment)

We work to provide sustainable solutions in offering a bring back service for old furniture before we commence installation, which we aim wherever possible to refurbish and reuse so that those most in need can make sue of it. This not only helps people, but minimises the environmental impact of recycling or sending old furniture to landfill.  As a social business our work also helps create sustainable employment and better futures for people.

Sustainable Wood

It is a condition of supply for any prospective supplier of FRC Living that 100% of the wood in their products comes from FSC certified sources. By using FSC-certified sources, we know that we are contributing to the demand for sustainable timber, and therefore reducing the demand for needless deforestation that causes harm to wildlife, communities, and to our planet.

Adapting to a more environmentally friendly way of living is something we take seriously at FRC Living, and something that our clients trust us with.

Removing Your Old Furniture

Whenever we are replacing furniture, we are happy to collect any unwanted items and bring them back to our warehouse for reuse and recycling. FRC Living is part of FRC Group, a social enterprise, and one of our social businesses is dedicated to furniture reuse and recycling so we have the facilities, the expertise and the experience to do this efficiently and responsibly.

All preloved furniture collected as part of every refurbishment project is assessed for its reuse potential and if suitable, after minor repairs and cleaning, the items are taken to those who need them most.

As members of the national furniture Reuse Network, we are also happy to work with partners throughout the country if clients would like preloved items to go to help people in their local area.

All items which are not suitable for reuse are recycled. They are deconstructed and all the recyclable elements are separated and sent to our waste partners. We always follow the waste hierarchy and fully comply with waste management regulations.

You can read our full FRC Group Sustainability Policy here.

Environmental Sustainability

We promote environmental sustainability by reducing wastage, limiting energy consumption and procuring materials from sustainable sources.

• FRC reuse and recycle all packaging and redundant items removed from properties. FRC has expertise in waste management through its sister company – Bulky Bob’s – and so has an existing infrastructure to efficiently and responsibly deal with any waste stream arising from this contract
• FRC delivery routes are scheduled efficiently to optimize the number of deliveries we can achieve and limit fuel consumption
• FRC use Euro 5 or Euro 6 vehicles. Vehicles are serviced and maintained on a 6 weekly basis in order to ensure compliance and roadworthiness
• Where possible we procure products from local suppliers to support the local economy
• Where possible we procure services from local suppliers, e.g. training courses such as FLT, health and safety, manual handling and electrical installation

FRC’s aim is to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.  Working through our sister company Bulky Bob’s we have been able to responsibly divert from landfill unwanted items that are suitable for reuse by local reuse organisations.

FRC Group is currently working on environmental projects around the reuse of divan bed bases and mattresses collected via the Bulky Bob’s service including the launch of our new UltraClean mattress cleaning solution.

The Future

Across the FRC Group we plan to continue with our ongoing carbon assessments and implement best practice solutions where suitable. During 2021 will be implementing our new route planning software which will further reduce the impact our operational side of the business has on the environment and will reduce our carbon footprint. We will also be assessing our energy provider to consider a move to a green tariff.

We will continue to work closely with our suppliers around the use of sustainable packaging and products.  We already reuse plastic wrapping used for mattress deliveries and we are looking at developing this further by using reusable material based mattress bags which provide an even greater carbon saving.

We are working with our upholstery manufacture to supply seating for older people accommodation which is constructed using eco-friendly recycled fillings but without any compromise to the comfort.  The financial and environmental cost of foam is high and so this provides a responsible and innovative alternative.  This will be rolled out during 2021.