Material impact & emissions analysis
Learn about our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, material hotspots and packaging footprint, to see where our impact sits and where reductions are coming from.
We believe that if you run a business, you have a responsibility to minimise the harm you do to the planet.
This report covers the period from 1st January 2024 to 31st May 2025, and focuses on transparency – sharing real case studies, real data, and real challenges. Because sustainability isn’t a straight line, it’s a series of choices, contingencies, considerations and compromises. By sharing our journey openly – setbacks and successes valued equally – we hope we can help other businesses learn, progress and minimise the harm they do too.
We’ve developed four strategic pillars that build on our longstanding sustainability commitments to guide us in the future, setting out tangible objectives that are backed by robust, meaningful action.
Download the report for a deep dive into NaughtOne’s sustainability approach.
Learn about our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, material hotspots and packaging footprint, to see where our impact sits and where reductions are coming from.
We unpack the topic of circularity, explaining why it isn’t a perfect loop, and how real circular design needs systems thinking, durability, repairability and human commitment to succeed.
Find out how our Sustainability Intern, Ben, advanced our sustainability approach whilst also gaining skills that will support the first steps of his career.
Learn about our Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, material hotspots and packaging footprint, to see where our impact sits and where reductions are coming from.
We unpack the topic of circularity, explaining why it isn’t a perfect loop, and how real circular design needs systems thinking, durability, repairability and human commitment to succeed.
Find out how our Sustainability Intern, Ben, advanced our sustainability approach whilst also gaining skills that will support the first steps of his career.
Switching to 100% green gas at our UK factory is our latest step toward cleaner, circular energy.
In 2023, NaughtOne successfully transitioned all UK sites to renewable electricity. But our Elland production facility remained the exception – it still relied on fossil-based gas.
The solution came from 100Green, a UK-based provider offering verified green gas which is a circular solution that turns waste into energy. Also known as biogas, green gas is produced through anaerobic digestion – a natural process that breaks down organic waste, diverting it from landfill and avoiding methane emissions.
The resulting green gas can be used just like conventional natural gas, whilst the leftover digestate is nutrient-rich, making it a useful natural fertiliser. We know the path isn’t identical everywhere – especially in the US, where energy infrastructure and regulation vary by state – but we believe green gas provision will continue to grow especially if, as consumers, we show suppliers that the demand is there.
We’re rethinking packaging to reduce single-use plastics without compromising protection or performance.
In 2024 we began working with a packaging consultant to assess our current solutions and identify alternatives. Single-use plastics make up only a small portion of our materials, but we chose to start there due to their disproportionate role in waste and pollution. What began as a focused review quickly became a broader rethink. We examined everything from bubble wrap to strapping, working closely with suppliers to share samples, gather feedback and test options that met our performance standards.
Our products are large, often heavy, and move through complex supply chains, which makes finding sustainable packaging solutions challenging. Trials confirmed a familiar truth: some single-use plastics are hard to replace. For example, wax-coated bags and paper bubble wrap weren’t durable enough for our needs. But we also found promising alternatives. We upgraded plastic bags to 100% recycled content and replaced plastic edge protectors with cardboard.
We’re now extending testing, exploring things like reusable pallet schemes and sharing findings with our global supplier network so we can collaborate on better solutions.
Tailored training in India helped extend climate knowledge across our partners, customers and supply chain.
As NaughtOne expanded globally, we recognised the need for sustainability education that resonated with local realities. Our internal Carbon Literacy Training helped colleagues understand the climate crisis and make personal pledges, but we saw an opportunity to extend this impact to customers and suppliers. But there was a challenge: how do we make climate education relevant across different geographies and roles?
We decided to create a customer-focused version tailored to local contexts. We chose India as the launchpad, travelling to five cities and engaging more than 150 participants. The training linked global climate action to local challenges – such as severe air pollution – and encouraged participants to make personal carbon-reduction pledges.
We also took time to understand each city’s pressures. For example, in Delhi, high-pollution days restrict vehicles and halt construction – a vivid reminder of how climate issues impact different places in different ways.
The programme was met with strong engagement, reinforcing our belief that everyday actions, multiplied, can drive real change. We will roll out the training in the United States next.
We’re cutting carbon by switching to plant-based Bio-Pur® foam – starting with the Truffle Pouf.
Foam is one of the most carbon-intensive materials we use at NaughtOne, and we’ve been searching for a more sustainable alternative for a long time. Our goal was to reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-derived inputs without compromising comfort, longevity or design integrity. We tested several options, but each involved trade-offs. Some didn’t meet our 10-year warranty, others changed the sit and feel, and some required operational changes that weren’t commercially viable.
A breakthrough came when a supply partner introduced a biomass-balanced polyurethane foam offering up to 75% carbon savings. Its simplicity set it apart – no changes to tooling, machinery or specifications were needed – allowing us to integrate it with minimal disruption.
We introduced the foam in the Truffle Pouf, where comfort and durability held up and the carbon footprint dropped. It now features in Mimo Modular Seating, and we’re testing it across more products. It’s an exciting time for foam innovation, and we’re optimistic about what’s next.
For businesses like ours with a global product portfolio, localisation is a key tool in reducing our carbon footprint.
By working with trusted manufacturing partners around the globe, we’re able to cut emissions associated with freight, support local communities and reduce lead times for our customers.
We first localised product in North America in 2016, because it was and still is our largest market, accounting for over 60% of our revenue. Since then, we have localised over 40 product ranges and now 90% of products we sell are manufactured in the same country or region as the end user.
Over the past year, we have localised four product ranges in Asia (including Dalby – pictured) and are planning to localise a further three product ranges in Asia over the next 12 months.
Because we’re committed to removing waste from our products and processes, the Pippin Lounge Chair, which was launched in 2023, is designed according to the principles of circularity.
All the components fit together and come apart like a 3D puzzle. Any piece can be extracted and repaired, replaced, recycled or reprocessed.
Like all our products, Pippin is built to last and backed with our standard 10-year warranty, but since we don’t use glue or staples anywhere, at end of life all of the materials can either be reused, recycled or recovered.
Pippin wasn’t our first intentionally circular product: that was the Ever Chair & Sofa, launched in 2021. It’s part of our stated goal to apply the waste hierarchy theory to the design of all future products.
By adapting the way we manufacture our Polly, Ruby and Viv chairs, we’ve been able to save 26,830kg of virgin material.
Polly takes its name from the material from which the seat shell is made; polypropylene. The same material is used in Viv and Ruby.
Polly, Viv & Ruby shells are made from 80% polypropylene and 20% glass fibre. After extensive testing, we were able to adapt the manufacturing process to switch 50% of the plastic content to post-industrial recycled polypropylene for three of the dark colourways (Black Grey, Steel Blue and Moss Green) without affecting the look or feel of the product.
For the shells we use inside Viv, we were able to move 100% of the plastic content to be post-industrial recycled polypropylene.
We launched the revised recycled version in 2022, and since then we have saved 26,830kg of virgin material. We’re continuing to explore ways we can improve materials with the goal that by 2030 all the plastics in our products will be recycled or biodegradable.
Carbon Literacy teaches individuals and organizations about the science of climate change, the sources and impacts of carbon emissions, and practical ways to reduce their carbon footprints.
When we started work on this report we asked our people what sustainability meant to them. To our surprise many found it a difficult question to answer. Why was that?
Sustainability is a complex topic and it has become very hard for people to understand what’s really happening to the environment, never mind what they can do about it.
To cut through the noise and embed our sustainability strategy within the culture here at NaughtOne, we joined forces with the Carbon Literacy Project to offer training about what greenhouse gases are and how to reduce them.
To complete the training, participants must make a personal and team pledge to reduce their own carbon emissions. So far, we’ve made 43 individual personal pledges and eight teams have made group commitments to reduce their carbon impact through their work.
In 2024 we introduced a new type of foam to our products. Bio-Pur® offers up to 75% carbon savings versus conventional foam and made its debut in the Truffle Pouf.
We also completed the transition to 100% sustainable energy at all our UK sites, using a combination of renewable electricity and green gas.
Pippin launched as our next step in circular design – a lounge chair built without glue or staples, fully repairable and easy to disassemble.
Its thoughtful engineering – which supports longer product life, material recovery and lower waste – earned it two sustainable design awards within two years of launch.
The Ever Chair & Sofa used the principles of the waste hierarchy theory to radically reimagine furniture design.
It was engineered with end-of-life separation in mind: responsibly sourced materials, simple tool-free disassembly and our Global Take-Back Programme ensure the product truly closes the loop.
Not everyone knows what to do with furniture when it reaches its end of life.
In 2019 we launched our Global Take-Back Programme so customers anywhere in the world can turn to us when they no longer need their NaughtOne product. We make sure it is properly re-used, refurbished or disposed of.
As international sales grew, our idea of ‘local’ had to change. With North America emerging as our largest market we started localising manufacturer with trusted local suppliers – reducing the carbon impact of freight miles.
Today 90% of our global products have local manufacturing partnerships.
Environmental certifications are standard in the furniture industry today, but it wasn’t always the case.
In 2014 we led the way with FISP certification, following that with ISO14001 and FSC two years later. In 2015 we started publishing detailed environmental summaries for all products.
We’ve always offered generous warranties, believing that longevity is a key pillar of sustainability.
In 2010 our warranty increased from three to five years, and now sits at 10.
In the beginning we focused on nurturing relationships with local suppliers and producers.
85% of our partners were within 50 miles of our Yorkshire HQ. We continue to work closely with local suppliers to this day.
An international standard for environmental management systems that demonstrates a commitment to environmental sustainability and compliance with relevant legislation.
A certification scheme aimed at promoting sustainable practices within the furniture industry.
An international organisation that certifies that forests are managed sustainably. FSC certified products use wood and paper from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.
SCS Indoor Advantage™ Gold Furniture is a global air quality certification that ensures that building materials, furniture, and other indoor products meet strict criteria for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
HPDs (Health Product Declarations) are standardised reports that provide transparency in disclosing the materials, chemicals and health hazards associated with a product.
Our decade-long warranty is proof of our commitment to robust engineering and durable design, built on our belief that long-lasting products are essential to sustainable business practice.
We believe in making a difference by showing what can be done – both through radical innovation and small everyday changes. And we don’t want to keep it to ourselves: we’re sharing our journey with our peers, suppliers, customers and community in the hope that the conversation it starts helps us to achieve greater change together.
If you'd like to join that conversation - or you'd simply like to understand more about our strategy - please get in touch. Our Sustainability Manager, Bethany Willan, would love to hear from you.
