Introduction

Environmental management involves a wide spectrum of issues which can affect the space in which we live and work. In the context of furniture manufacturing, these issues can include:

Consumption of raw materials: nature of the material, source, packaging and associated wastage rate
Process efficiency: efficient utilisation of raw materials, energy and water
Air emissions: control of releases to air such as solvents, dust, noise and odour
Waste management: elimination, minimisation, reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal of solid wastes with associated controls
Wastewater: minimisation and control of liquid wastes ranging from vehicle washdown water to solvent waste
Ground and groundwater: protection of ground to avoid land contamination
End-of-life: consideration of the design and manufacture of an item to facilitate its reuse, recycling and recovery at the end of its useful life.