Rheda-Wiedenbrück, 27 June 2024. The Sustainability Report 2022/2023 documents the seating furniture manufacturer’s sustainability-related achievements over the past two years, the progress it has made and the goals it has set for the future. COR publishes the biennial report in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) criteria.
The Sustainability Strategy, which was defined in 2022, sets out important goals for the coming years. It puts clear emphasis on complete climate neutrality by 2030 with regard to scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. The company is receiving support from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s “gemeinsam klimaneutral 2030” climate neutrality initiative, which COR joined in 2022. It is also focussing on using fewer resources and extending the life cycle of its products. Significant progress has been made in this area with the CORever second-life programme, which was launched in 2023 and involves refurbishing and reselling disused COR furniture. Berenike Austermann, the company’s first Sustainability Officer, ensures that the defined goals are realised internally.
“Staying on course – that’s what matters now. After all, sustainability isn’t about the state of the economy or social challenges; it’s about our future viability. Greenwashing is a global phenomenon that has nothing to do with genuine sustainability. Sustainability starts here at our production facility in Rheda-Wiedenbrück,” said Leo Lübke, Managing Partner of COR.
In 2022 and 2023, the family-run company recorded a significant decrease in scope 1 and scope 3 emissions in its CO2 site balance sheet. Scope 2 emissions were assessed as 0 kg CO2e in both years due to the fact that these indirect emissions were already being purchased on a carbon-neutral basis. Greenhouse gas emissions declined by 21 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Pollutant emissions that could not be avoided, or only avoided with great difficulty, were offset by COR. The company’s total carbon emissions in the past year amounted to 526 tonnes. Of these, 209 tonnes were offset by a Woodify climate forest project and 317 tonnes by a wind energy project in South Africa.
COR assesses the sustainability of its furniture according to the six criteria of durability, reparability, separability of the materials, purity of the original materials, geographic proximity and “Blue Angel” conformity.
The company began producing seating furniture in 1954 according to the principle of “quality in its purest form”. The product philosophy – to create durable furniture with a holistic design – was a matter of common sense at the time. Over the course of the company’s history, however, it has become the most important driver for sustainable business. Much has been done successively to conserve resources, minimise waste and extend the useful life of the furniture.
For example, COR furniture that is getting on in years can be repaired, refurbished or reupholstered. Ever since the company was founded, the wood left over from frame construction has been used to heat the production and administration areas. Production takes place exclusively in Germany – in accordance with very demanding environmental and social standards. COR also prefers to use local suppliers. In fact, two thirds of its leading suppliers are still located in Germany, which means they are easily accessible and transport distances are short. The premium brand has maintained a close business relationship with many of them for over ten years. All suppliers have been taking part in annual audits based on internal assessment criteria, including sustainability aspects, since 2008.
In addition to that, all COR upholstered furniture items for living areas have had the Blue Angel eco-label seal of approval since 2017. This means, among other things, they have been tested for harmful substances like formaldehyde, solvents and plasticisers. The GREENGUARD Gold Certificate demonstrates that volatile organic compound emissions indoors are avoided to the maximum extent possible. Some of the products already have Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) certification.
Reflecting its pioneering transformation achievements, COR was a finalist in the German Sustainability Award in 2023 and received the German Award for Sustainability Projects in 2024 for its CORever furniture returns system. All in all, the company is excellently positioned to achieve its ambitious sustainability objectives.
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