HOBIS furniture – an environmentally friendly product
Ecology, it is a current big topic. It is written and talked about everywhere. Most of us try to act responsibly. We sort our waste are interested in how things we buy are made. What materials they are made of, where and possibly how they are produced. And also, how much they burden the environment.
We started dealing with this issue back in 2001 (time sure flies) when we asked the Ministry of Environment what we should do in order to meet the statute of environmentally friendly production. The mark of “Environmentally friendly product” was just starting in the Czech Republic back then, however, no one had any idea of how to apply it to furniture manufacture. Fortunately, the “Blue Angel” environmental mark has been applied in neighbouring Germany since 1978. This mark is awarded to products and services which are environmentally friendly and meet the defined standards. So, we could use their experience. This started a process of more than 2 years. It included the strictly defined conditions for HOBIS office furniture manufacture processes and their harsh (and frequent) inspection by the Ministry of Environment. For example:
Do not use hazardous substances and SVHC mixtures. In translation, this is mainly about adhesives, coatings etc. made of volatile substances. For example, those that are acetone-based. This point was not very difficult for use as we do not manufacture assembled furniture. Individual parts are not glued together, they are assembled at the place of destination using connection fittings.
Waste management. Even though we have a specific SW which optimally controls the cut of a large-scale saw, there are always some chops left. Which means waste. What to do with it? We have built an environmentally-friendly incinerator which burns the laminate at a very high temperature without the release of toxic gases. In addition, it is a source of heat for manufacture, as well as for several connected households.
Environmentally-friendly materials. The laminate is supplied by Egger, an Austrian company having a sophisticated program under which it collects wood chips only from suppliers who manage their forests in a demonstrably ecological and economic manner. No exploiting, but sustainable management.
Environmentally-friendly operation. We operate modern CNC machines which uses the electricity in the most ecological manner. We install solar panels or a heat pump. We have thermostats installed in the heating and strictly use energy-saving light bulbs or LED lights. It is a mix of details that together form a large whole.
After passing a series of inspections and tests, we finally received the certificate and the “Environmentally friendly product” mark in 2004. The mark bears the 01 number because we are the first company to get it. We are also a part of the CZECH QUALITY program which supports trusted brand of above-standard quality products and services.