BFM Environment Ltd

	BFM Environment Ltd The EHS branch of the trade association for British Furniture Manufacturers

Home Services Research Training Contact us	Welcome to the web site of BFM Environment Ltd which provides information on environmental management and health & safety for the UK furniture manufacturing sector.
	BFM participates in cleaner design project for furniture During early 2010, BFM has been leading a work package as part of a larger project, to investigate the impact of design upon the potential for office furniture remanufacture. Remanufacturing can be defined as: "A series of manufacturing steps acting on an end-of-life part or product in order to return it to like-new or better performance, with warranty to match." A report summarising the key findings is now available. Key topics which BFM has investigated have included the optimisation of the choice of materials, number of components, life-span of components, disassembly and the identification of the most appropriate end-of-life treatment. BFM project on end-of-life furniture, environmental design and remanufacturing During early 2009, BFM Ltd completed a two year study regarding the scope for the attainment of zero emissions production in the furniture manufacturing sector. There have been a wide range of interesting outcomes which have greatly contributed to the level of knowledge regarding the methods through which environmental progress can be made by the office, contract and kitchen furniture supply chain. Click on the link above to access the project pages and use this link to download the final project report Led by BFM Ltd, the project has involved a range of partners. Key outcomes have been: Redesign of furniture from 5 categories of product such as tub chair, office desk and office chair. The environmental impact of the original product was analysed and researchers then worked with the company to identify and implement measures to reduce the environmental impact. The resulting “green” furniture, has included a number of items which generate significant manufacturing and marketing benefits. Remanufacturing: further new products have been designed, prototyped and are now being sold by Green-Works. This organisation has traditionally been involved in office furniture reuse. However, as part of this project, Green-Works set up a remanufacturing centre to disassemble end-of-life office desks and make a range of new furniture items Identification of the potential for product service systems to enhance business profitability and sustainability – through looking at alternative business models such as leasing and renting. This allows the manufacturer to retain ownership of the product – thereby deriving maximum benefit from cleaner designs and the potential end-of-life value of materials Excellent results for BFM's successful resource efficiency clubs BFM has been running the UK’s first resource efficiency clubs specifically aimed at furniture and woodworking businesses thanks to sponsorship from Envirowise. Working with SEFTA (South East Furniture Training Association) the initiative initially focussed on a group of ten companies based in the South East during 2006. A further set of 8 companies were recruited in 2007 and the process was replicated in Nottingham. City & Guilds accredited courses for health, safety & environmental training Dr Alistair Bromhead, working as health, safety and environmental consultant to BFM Ltd, has developed a range of health, safety and environmental qualifications for the furniture sector with City & Guilds accreditation. Some of these are City & Guilds accredited and they are run as in-house courses and open events. Courses such as the Manual Handling Train the Trainer course are run by Alistair on a regular basis and significant discounts are offered to BFM members. These include: City & Guilds Certificate: Manual Handling Train the Trainer City & Guilds Certificate in Environmental Management City & Guilds Certificate in Health and Safety Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme Sustainable development issues are becoming increasingly important to Governments, retailers and consumers with all three pushing for products to be manufactured in a sustainable manner. The UK Government is actively encouraging sectors to develop this ethos in the form of sustainability programmes. The Furniture Industry Sustainability Programme is the sector’s response to the challenge following several years worth of work by the Furniture Industry Environment Committee – of which BFM Ltd is a key member. FISP revolves around a number of environmental, social and economic commitments. Companies can become certified to FISP when they can demonstrate to a third party auditor that they meet the standards required by these commitments. Morgan Contract Furniture Ltd became the first member to be certified by BFM Ltd in 2007.

	City &Guilds course codes 5618 201, 202 & 203 offered through the approved centre – FFINTO 028538 City & Guilds and the City & Guilds logo are trade marks of The City and Guilds of London Institute
	Website designed by Alistair Bromhead
	manual handling trainer training, manual handling instructor training