If you’re responsible for office furniture procurement you know it’s a significant investment. But the true cost of new office furniture goes far beyond the sticker price.
Hidden expenses add up quickly. Lead times can stretch to 12 weeks or more, delaying office transitions and back-to-work plans. And every new workstation or task chair manufactured comes with an environmental price—depleting resources, consuming energy, and increasing carbon emissions. A single task chair generates 72 kg of CO2e, equivalent to driving 186 miles. Multiply that by the estimated 16.5 million new chairs purchased annually in the U.S., and that’s like circling the Earth 123,200 times!
Additionally, today’s office leases are averaging just 3–5 years—down from the historical 10+ years—and as a result, less than 10% of office furniture is reused beyond its first location. The embodied carbon from tenant fit-outs alone in an average 30-story office tower amounts to 3,420 tons of CO₂ annually! Offsetting this would require 342,000 mature trees—every single year. (Source: Reset Embodied Carbon & Circularity in Office Furniture – Giga 2022). Meanwhile, the EPA estimates that 8.5 million tons of office furniture continues to end up in U.S. landfills each year.
What if there was a smarter, more cost-effective, and sustainable way to outfit your office?
The Circular Advantage: A Sustainable, Smart Investment
Unlike a traditional linear economy where furniture is manufactured, used, and discarded, remanufactured office furniture contributes to a circular economy—where high-quality materials are kept in use, waste is minimized, and resources are conserved. This approach reduces dependency on virgin materials, cuts carbon emissions, and extends the lifecycle of premium office furnishings. For businesses, this means long-term cost savings, reduced environmental impact, and a stronger alignment with corporate sustainability commitments.
Remanufactured solutions can also reduce lead times by more than half of buying new, keeping projects on schedule and minimizing downtime. They can also reduce carbon emissions by up to 80%, making them an easy win for companies with sustainability goals. Best of all, they offer the same customization and configurations as new furniture—at a fraction of the cost of new.
Premium office furniture brands like Teknion, Steelcase, Haworth, and Herman Miller are built to last—but they come at a premium price. Remanufactured workstations and benching systems re-created from older versions of these same brands provide the same durability and performance for 30–50% less than buying new. That means procurement teams can stretch their budgets further, investing in office enhancements, ergonomic upgrades, or technology improvements.
And while new office furniture depreciates rapidly—losing up to 70% of its value within five years—remanufactured solutions offer a smarter long-term investment without sacrificing style, function or quality.
When to Consider Remanufactured Furniture
If your company is looking to:
- Revamp the workspace – Achieve a fresh, modern look without a large price tag
- Replace worn-out furniture – Upgrade task chairs and workstations affordably and sustainably
- Prepare for a back-to-office transition – Create an inviting, productive office environment
- Manage a large-scale office fit-out – Equip multiple locations while meeting sustainability and budget goals
- Make small but impactful changes – Reconfigure or expand workspaces efficiently
What Furniture is Best for Remanufacturing?
Some of the best candidates for remanufacturing include:
- Workstations & Benching Systems – Fully customizable in size, color, and configuration
- Task & Conference Seating – High-end ergonomic chairs from brands like Herman Miller, Humanscale. Steelcase, and Teknion that outperforms many fast-furniture alternatives
- Collaborative Benching – Innovative alternatives designed for productivity and aesthetics
Addressing Common Concerns About Remanufactured Furniture
- “Will it look cohesive?” – Absolutely. Remanufactured furniture offers extensive customization options, ensuring consistency across workstations, seating, and finishes.
- “Is the quality up to par?” – Yes. Remanufacturers use premium brands originally designed for longevity, ensuring remanufactured pieces perform just as well—if not better—than new.
- “Are the configurations standardized?” – Yes. Remanufactured workstations, benching, and seating can be precisely reconfigured to fit your specific needs, just like buying new furniture.
Reimagining Office Spaces with Remanufactured Workstations
The decision to buy new or remanufactured furniture is more than just about cost—it’s about making a strategic, sustainable investment that aligns with your business objectives. Remanufactured solutions allow companies to create a high-quality workspace with greater flexibility, faster turnaround times, and a significantly lower environmental footprint.
Most of our clients are prioritizing height adjustability, minimal storage, and low-profile privacy dividers that provide separation without closing off the workspace. Our most popular options—30×60 benching stations and L-shaped configurations with an adjustable main surface and fixed return—deliver the flexibility and functionality today’s teams need.
With fully refurbished finishes and configurations tailored to your space, remanufactured workstations let you create a high-performance space with the same durability and warranty as new, without overspending.
Here’s a recent remanufactured configuration we’ve designed a client – would you believe these are re-created from landfill-destined panels and work surfaces?
Real-World Savings: Region of Halton Case Study
When the Region of Halton needed 1,100 workstations, they faced a choice: buy new at full price or explore a more strategic, cost-effective option. By opting for remanufactured workstations from premium brands like Teknion and Steelcase, they significantly reduced costs while achieving a polished, modern, and fully functional workspace. The result? High-quality workstations that aligned with both budgetary constraints and sustainability goals, proving that remanufacturing is not just a smart financial decision, but also a forward-thinking environmental strategy.
Making the Shift To The Workspace of the Future
At Envirotech, we don’t just sell remanufactured furniture—we transform office spaces while reducing waste.
- 25+ Years of Experience – We’ve been rescuing and remanufacturing office furniture since 1997
- 10,000+ Task Chairs Remanufactured Annually – Keeping high-quality seating out of landfills and reducing environmental impact by up to 80%
- Hundreds of Thousands of Pounds of panels and workstation surfaces rescued from a landfill fate and repurposed to like-new
- Ontario-Based Remanufacturing Facility – Providing sustainable, locally remanufactured solutions for businesses across North America
If you’re considering a furniture purchase, now is the time to explore remanufactured options.
