FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND CARBON EFFICIENCY ESTIMATOR FOR FURNITURE LAUNCHES A Carbon Efficiency Estimator which measures the total amount of carbon a furniture piece uses in its lifecycle has launched to market. Set to accelerate sustainability in the furniture and fixtures industry, the tool is a global first and has been created by Design Conformity, a certification company setting the standard in furniture sustainability with independent Circular Design Certification. The new Carbon Efficiency Estimator allows designers, estimators, and procurement managers to quickly measure the carbon footprint of a design, with 90-95 percent accuracy, enabling them to create furniture and fixtures with lower carbon impacts. Taking less than five minutes to take a measurement, the estimator’s accessibility and ease of use will expedite designers furniture and fixtures sustainability goals, on the journey to carbon reduction and net zero. The estimator considers material, weight, sourcing, production location and electrical efficiency comparisons, as well as carbon efficiency benchmarking to the top 50 Design Conformity-approved products by category. Five years in the making, using data from over 1,000 evaluations from over 70 global brands, the estimator has so far enabled furniture manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint by 39 percent. Across all industries consumers are increasingly seeking sustainable products, and by 2030, medium and large businesses (250+ employees and £36m+ turnover) will have to report the carbon emissions of bought-in goods, including furniture and fixtures. Design Conformity’s Carbon Efficiency Estimator allows the designers and manufacturers to better calculate how sustainable their furniture is and produce self-declaration estimates for their customers. It also benchmarks their products against industry averages of carbon efficiency. Once the estimator has been used and the furniture design has been finalised, Design Conformity then offer a third party, independently verified Circular Design Certificate for accurate carbon reporting, giving the furniture its own unique Carbon Efficiency Rating. Design Conformity is the first independent quality and sustainability design standard for the furniture and fixtures industry. Manufacturer members receive access to a wide range of knowledge and resources to help them to design and manufacturer more sustainable products, reducing the carbon impact of their companies for their customers. Adam Hamilton-Fletcher, founder of Design Conformity, said: “We created the Carbon Efficiency Estimator and dc Certification due to the lack of industry sustainability standards and the need for circular design and carbon reporting. Our ambition is to become the global standard in circular design certification. “By using this tool and using our certification process, manufacturers not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also adhere to quality standards (UKCA and CE) and commit to sustainable, circular design practice (ISO and GHG) for their customers. “The team and I are really excited that after many years of development, this unique tool is now available and has the capability to fast-track retailers’ route to carbon reduction and net zero.” www.designconformity.com SMART TOYS & GAMES SCOOPS DOUBLE WIN AT INDEPENDENT TOY AWARDS Smart Toys and Games successfully scooped two award wins at the Independent Toy Awards including gold for SmartGames ‘Cats & Boxes’ in the Educational Games category and bronze for SmartMax ‘My First Build & Drive’ in the Construction category. Smart Toys and Games is thrilled to be recognised for two awards by a highly respected group of retailers and especially delighted to have been awarded gold in the educational games category for SmartGames ‘Cats & Boxes.’ The popular compact game, which is suitable for ages 7 years +, challenges players to move the puzzle pieces one by one until all 5 of the furry friends are inside a box. Following the 60 challenges from easy to hard, the sequential puzzle game helps develop many cognitive skills, such as stimulating concentration, logical thinking, planning, problem-solving, and spatial insight. Scooping Bronze in the Construction category, SmartMax ‘My First Build & Drive’ is the latest ‘My First’ set to be launched by SmartMax. This bestselling range introduces young children between the ages of 1-5 to the world of magnetism, encouraging logical thinking, motor skills and imaginative play from the very beginning. The simple, yet effective design of the ‘My First’ sets enable children of all ages to engage with the product and allows them to build their own unique constructions in a multitude of ways. ‘My First Build & Drive’ is a 2-in-1 playset: Toddlers as young as 18 months can build & play and preschoolers from the age of 2-5 can enhance their skills as they try to build one of the constructions shown on the 24 picture challenge cards. Commenting on their success in the recent Independent Toy Awards, Karen Clarke, UK Brand Director at Smart Toys and Games said: “We are over the moon to have been recognised for two awards in this year’s Independent Toy Awards. Now in its 16th year, these awards are undoubtedly well respected within the industry and to have been selected by our independent retailers is a real coup! SmartGames ‘Cats & Boxes’ has been a hugely popular release for us this year, so we’re delighted it took the top spot in the educational games category and SmartMax ‘My First Build and Drive’ is a fantastic addition to the ever-growing ‘My First’ collection, so it’s fantastic to already be receiving the recognition it deserves!” www.smart.be 10
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