Furniture brand Takt has begun using a new kind of lifecycle assessment for its products that was devised by the European Commission and considers a product's full impact on nature and human health.
The company claims its Cross Chair is the "first furniture product" to receive the European Commission's Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) single score – a single number based on how the product scores in 16 different environmental impact categories.
This scoring system will now be rolled out for the brand's entire catalogue, replacing the carbon footprint that sustainability-focused furniture companies like Takt and Vestre have started listing alongside their products.
"PEF analysis is rigorous in its scope and process," said Takt founder Henrik Taudorf Lorensen. "And, I believe, it is currently the best standard we have for holding companies to their stated environmental commitments."
"Just because carbon is low, it doesn't mean impact is low — materials boasting minimal carbon footprints could leave a devastating trail of toxins or excessive water usage in their wake."
Based on a method set out by the European Commission, the PEF score evaluates 16 categories that go beyond the narrow focus on climate change to include global and local impacts such as water use, particulate matter, resource and land use, ozone depletion and human toxicity.
The categories are converted into a common reference unit based on the environmental impacts of an average global person over one year.
Weighted according to their urgency and impact, the results are combined to achieve a comparable PEF single score that reflects the product's overall environmental performance.
"We are pioneering the use of PEF reporting because we believe the bigger picture of environmental impact it provides is a fairer, more transparent way of sharing information with customers and a better roadmap for achieving our low-impact ambitions," said Taudorf Lorensen.
Takt worked with Danish lifecycle screening company Målbar to create a "product screening tool" to calculate the PEF score for its products, before having the results independently verified by certification body Bureau Veritas.
In the case of the Cross Chair, designed by British studio Pearson Lloyd, this analysis took into account its use of FSC-certified wood, a fully certified supply chain and a design that allows for carbon-efficient flatpack delivery and simple disassembly so parts can be replaced, earning a PEF score of 0.0025.
"The total derived from adding these all together provides a consistent measurement across all categories of product, from microchips to cargo ships, allowing for more meaningful comparisons," said Taudorf Lorensen.
It will also enable the company to identify areas where its environmental performance could be improved and take necessary actions.
The use of PEF reporting is in line with Takt's commitment to "radical transparency", which ensures users have as much information as possible about a product's environmental impact.
In 2021, Henrik Taudorf Lorensen told Dezeen Takt was on track to achieve net-zero emissions 20 years ahead of targets set out in the Paris climate change agreement.
At that time, it claimed to be the only design brand to consistently have all of its products certified with the EU Ecolabel.