Design for environmentally sustainable furniture systems - the knowledge and know-how of furniture life cycle design and furniture sustainable product-service system design

It is widely acknowledged that the furniture industry has a significant environmental impact and is one of the vital sectors for improving sustainability. However, there is a lack of comprehensive, scientifically-based, furniture-specific knowledge and know-how, including a theoretical framework, approaches, methods and tools, to guide the furniture industry toward greater sustainability. A growing international scientific community is working to fill the gap. This PhD research is framed into this research area focusing on Life Cycle Design (LCD) and Sustainable Product-Service System Design (S.PSSD). The LeNS network(1), which includes nearly 150 design Universities distributed worldwide, is the primary scientific community for reference. The research aims to develop furniture-specific knowledge and know-how to support the Sustainable Furniture System Design (SFSD).