Introduction

Emissions associated with energy use and transport can have significant environmental and economic implications for furniture manufacturers. However, their management is often neglected as the issues are not as apparent as other forms of waste such as wood off-cuts. Work by BFM Ltd has shown that energy costs typically account for 1 to 3% of turnover with transport averaging around 3% of turnover.

Energy generation and use leads to environmental impacts, especially when fossil fuels are used. For example, the burning of coal to produce electricity will generate a range of air pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Such gases contribute to environmental issues such as global warming and acid rain.