The Problem

98% of corporate furniture waste ends up in landfill. Conversely, many non-profits experience a shortage of good quality commercial furniture.

Through a lack of efficient systems, commercial furniture has traditionally been sent to waste and landfill following renovation, relocation and demolition of commercial offices and premises. This issue is ongoing and regardless of the ‘want’ for organisations not to send product to landfill, the incentives have remained low. Aligning a demand for the furniture can be time consuming and difficult for project teams.

Meanwhile, non-profits and community organisations are minimally funded and function on very little commercial input. They are often not able to purchase commercial furniture, and their work environments can remain stagnant and uninspiring.

Our Solution

At GreenChair™ we turn corporate waste into a positive social and environmental impact by bridging the gap between abundance on the supply side and scarcity on the demand side.

Supply - we work with corporate and private sector businesses, local and state government, fit out contractors, building owners, facility managers, schools, furniture providers and project managers who want to gift furniture and other items that need to be removed from their premises.

Demand - Non-profits, charities and community groups who need furniture and other commercial office items to set up suitable work and living spaces.

The GreenChair™ program is an initiative of Bateup Consulting and available to eligible organisations who register their interest on the GreenChair™dtabase. Businesses can also register to list furniture that will be obsolete through upcoming renovation projects.

FAQs

  • GreenChair™ is a furniture repurposing program helping businesses to transfer furniture to NFPs and community groups. Initially introduced to support the building and construction industry, due to demand, the program has evolved to include all sectors and industries.

  • GreenChair™ operates throughout Australia and New Zealand in all major cities and metro areas. We are also currently developing channels for regional areas.

  • There is no limit to what we can re-purpose as long as it can be safely removed from site and accessed by the recipient, it can be repurposed. To date we have facilitated donations of all your typical office furniture, carpet tiles, whitegoods, artwork, medical beds, commercial kitchen supplies, hospitality goods and so on. Examples of things we do not repurpose are electrical hard wired items and large complex joinery (i.e. kitchen benches) etc.

  • No, GreenChair™ does not store furniture. We operate in a “real time” environment, meaning all allocated furniture for each job needs to be collected direct from site, in the timeframe given. This enables GreenChair™ to keep overheads to a minimum and in turn allows NFPs and community groups to receive the items free of charge.

  • No, we are not a removal or collection service. We facilitate the audit and allocation of your unwanted furniture to NFPs and community groups. If you’d like more detail on this, please contact us.

  • No, GreenChair™ do not accept broken or damaged/soiled furniture, we only repurpose items that are gently used to NFPs and community groups.

  • We can, but ideally the audit will be done prior to furniture being taken apart & stored. We cannot photograph & list items that are not assembled, we need to show the item complete. We have successfully audited and repurposed items in storage provided there is room to move around the storage facility and heavy items are not stacked too high.

  • Probably not, but contact us to check. We usually need time to audit, circulate the listing to our database and give the recipients time to arrange their pickups.

  • Not really, but this is determined on a case by case basis and depends on our capacity to help at the time. It is always worth reaching out to ask.

  • Due to tight timeframes we work to with building and construction deadlines, we have found it works well for GreenChair™ to do an audit of all furniture and then your business marks any item they are keeping. Only items signed off as "available" will be circulated to the GreenChair™ database. The total of all items being repurposed internally and/or externally is included in the final results we give to you if items are being reused.

  • As part of the GreenChair™ model we offer you the final results of your job in the form of a GreenChair™ certificate that details: kgs of material waste avoided, number of items saved from landfill, how many charities were supported and the total emissions savings you achieved.

  • We charge a nominal admin fee to the business repurposing the goods which covers our costs and ensures the items remain free of charge to the NFPs and community groups. The fee is dependent on the scope of work and is quoted upon receipt of detail. For more information reach out to us via our Contact Us page and one of our team will be in touch.

  • GreenChair™ currently work within the commercial space, not residential.

  • Yes! We are growing rapidly and always keen to hear from people who may be interested in being part of our team. You can reach out to us via our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.