Thursday 4 June 2026
Valdelia: Measuring environmental impact to drive action
Defining the pathway through LCA for the professional furniture waste sector with Valdelia
As a key player at the heart of the professional furniture waste sector, Valdelia sought to carry out a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in order to better understand the environmental impacts of its recovery scheme, to objectively quantify its benefits, and to identify concrete improvement opportunities.
This work aims to provide a robust and shared basis for decision‑making, grounded in the operational reality of the sector.
A complex sector with impacts that are difficult to quantify
End‑of‑life management of professional furniture relies on a particularly complex organisation, involving:
- multi‑step logistics, with diversified collection schemes and several treatment sites;
- treatment pathways adapted to different types of furniture and material compositions;
- a wide range of materials including wood, metals, plastics, foams and textiles.
In such a context, without a comprehensive and rigorous environmental assessment, it is difficult to clearly identify where the main environmental impacts lie—and, most importantly, where action can be taken most effectively to reduce them.
A study built on dialogue between sector practitioners and LCA experts
Over nearly one year, we worked closely with Valdelia’s teams to develop an LCA model that accurately reflects the operational realities of the sector.
The approach was based on:
- three co‑construction workshops with Valdelia’s teams to analyse how the sector operates, formalise assumptions and structure the LCA model;
- robust data collection, drawing on Valdelia’s internal tools and supplemented by regular exchanges with operational teams;
- detailed impact analysis covering logistics, treatment pathways and recovery options.
This approach goes beyond a purely theoretical assessment, taking into account real‑world practices as well as technical and economic constraints, in order to support sound and actionable operational decisions.
Results to guide action
The study highlighted two key findings:
- the environmental impacts of the sector are mainly driven by logistics, including collection, transfers between sites and transport to final outlets;
- the environmental benefits are largely driven by reuse and material recovery, particularly the recycling of metals.
Based on these results, several priority action levers could be identified, including:
- rolling out reuse initiatives, with a focus on refurbishing professional furniture using reused components;
- directing non‑recyclable material flows towards the most efficient energy recovery pathways;
- rethinking logistics, by reducing transfers, prioritising lower‑carbon transport solutions and working with closer, local partners.
A continuous improvement approach for the sector
By publishing the results of this LCA, Valdelia is adopting a voluntary approach to transparency and demonstrating a clear commitment to continuous improvement of the environmental performance of its activities.
Solid data to support decisions. Concrete actions to drive transformation.
This is the conviction illustrated by the work carried out by ELYS Conseil alongside Valdelia.
To learn more