Climate documentation dominates the Danish furniture industry. Demands from customers, developers, and the EU face complex, non-comparable calculations.
There are few places where environmental documentation takes up as much space in the day-to-day as in the Danish furniture industry. Clients ask for figures, developers require documentation, and EU regulations are moving at a quick pace. Behind the numbers lies a complexity which is far greater than a single collective environmental footprint score: different calculation methods, different system boundaries, different databases – and thus results that aren’t immediately comparable.
This complexity was the point of departure for the project Climate Impact in the Furniture Industry – One Common Language, which was set up in Autumn 2025 by the steering committee of the Circular Furniture Network (CFN), part of Lifestyle and Design Cluster.
The goal was to examine and address one of the industry’s largest current challenges: how do businesses work with environmental data across methodologies – and how do they communicate responsibly and uniformly with their clients when figures aren’t comparable?
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Today, the industry is split between two dominant methods of calculation: EPD and PEF. Both are based on LCA but with widely differing rules, demarcations, and data requirements – and thus differing results. At the same time, clients often ask for “a figure” without knowing the difference. This makes dialogue difficult, both for ESG specialists and sales organizations.
The ambition of the project, then, was not to develop one solution, but rather to create a common understanding: a language and a framework that enable businesses to better explain, navigate, and prioritize in a field which isn’t yet harmonized – and in which the EU’s regulations are only being finalized in the coming years.
In order to examine the challenge from multiple perspectives, the project was designed as a development process in which both ESG profiles and sales profiles participated side by side. It was important to include both those who are responsible for data and those who are in dialogue with clients – because misunderstandings and differing methodologies often materialise in the gap between these two functions.
Each of the project partners had a specific role:
Aalborg University: led the project and was responsible for the technical methodology and the research-related foundation.
Målbar: shared operational knowledge of LCA, PEF, and data quality, and supported development of the visual components and the conceptual framework.
Lifestyle and Design Cluster: facilitated the process, assembled the businesses, and ensured the project was anchored in the needs of the industry and the ongoing work of the Circular Furniture Network.
Furthermore, the project gathered a diverse group of Danish furniture brands (see the full list at the end of the article). Having both large and medium-sized brands included – as well as ESG experts and sales profiles – provided a nuanced image of the industry’s challenges and everyday practice.
Even though no single project will be able to solve the methodological differences between PEF and EPD, as that would require EU harmonization, the brands can make use of the results immediately:
1. A conceptual guide
A practice-oriented overview of the central concepts, the differences between methodologies, and recommendations for how the brands can communicate more transparently and professionally about environmental data. The guide makes it easier to determine a client’s actual needs, explain the choice of methodology, and ask the kinds of questions that ensure a fair comparison.
2. A fact sheet
A foundational document which gives cohesive knowledge of PEF, EPD, LCA, EU regulations as well as the most common misunderstandings – written in a language that makes it usable for both ESG teams and sales organizations.
3. A strengthened collaboration between ESG and sales
The brands especially highlighted that the project gave them a new common internal language – which makes dialogue with clients safer and more uniform, and which bridges a gap between the data nerds and those on the front line.
4. A realization of crucial importance
It became obvious that a “calculation key” between EPD and PEF doesn’t currently exist and cannot be made until the EU harmonizes methodologies. This realization gives the brands a more realistic foundation from which to navigate and explain to clients why figures can’t be translated one-to-one.
5. Improved industry knowledge that reaches beyond the project
A shared level of knowledge has now been established which can serve as the foundation for future projects, work on standardization, and political dialogues.
The work doesn’t end here.
An important point – which several of the participants highlighted – is that the industry cannot solve this challenge alone. The EU’s upcoming ESPR requirements and the Digital Product Passport will eventually create a kind of shared direction. But until then, cooperation, a common language and knowledge-sharing are the most effective ways to proceed.
Here is where this type of project proves its real value; it doesn’t solve everything, but it makes the industry more resourceful and better equipped to meet future requirements. And that creates a shared understanding, which can spread like ripples in the water.
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EPD: Environmental Product Declaration. Declaration which documents a construction product’s environmental properties. Developed according to European and international standards.
PEF: Product Environmental Footprint. Standardized method of calculation, used to assess a product’s total environmental impact. Aligns with the European Commission’s PEF standards.
LCA: Life Cycle Assessment. A method to assess the potential environmental impacts and resource consumption of a given product or service throughout its entire life cycle.
ESG: Environment, Social and Governance. A method for structuring sustainability work. Covers environment and climate, social conditions, and business behavior.
ESPR: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. A regulation which establishes requirements for designing products in an environmentally friendly way in order to reduce the negative consequences for the environment throughout the entire life cycle of the product. Decides which products are included in the Digital Product Passport.
