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Meeting NHS Office Furniture Standards Through Office Furniture Refurbishment: A Guide for NHS Procurement Teams

Ida Gorecka • March 3, 2025

Big changes are happening in NHS procurement, and your trust needs to be ready. With 76% of NHS energy use coming from fossil fuels [source: BMJ 2024-079259] and ambitious Net Zero targets to meet, every procurement decision matters more than ever. 


But here's something you might not know: the office furniture you choose for your facilities today can help to drive change in your environmental impact tomorrow. Even better, making sustainable choices doesn't mean going over your budget or missing deadlines.


Think about your last furniture purchase. What if it could have:


  • Cut your carbon footprint 
  • Arrived faster than traditional options
  • Helped your trust meet its green goals
  • Saved you money


Want to see how your next procurement decision could tick all these boxes? Get in touch. We understand the challenges NHS trusts face, and we're here to make your work easier.


In this guide, we'll show you how office furniture refurbishment can help meet NHS standards while hitting your sustainability targets - all within budget and project timelines.

What This Means for Your NHS Trust

The traditional 'buy new, use, dispose' approach to NHS procurement is no longer sustainable - for budgets or the environment. 


The NHS is pioneering a new path, becoming the world's first health serviceto commit to net zero carbon emissions. We're already seeing impressive results - NHS teams have cut emissions equal to the power used by 1.1 million homes each year!


At the heart of this transformation is a shift to a circular economy, where furniture is refurbished and reused rather than thrown away. This approach does more than just support the Greener NHS initiative - it helps your trust:


  • Make smarter use of budgets
  • Meet sustainability targets
  • Stay fully compliant with NHS frameworks
  • Reduce waste across multiple facilities


Click here to find out more about circular economy and what England's new circular economy strategy means for your business.


For procurement teams managing multiple sites, this creates an opportunity to rethink how you source and manage office furniture. The goal isn't just hitting green targets, but getting better value from every pound while maintaining the high standards the NHS demands.


Have questions? Reach out to us to explore tailored solutions for your trust’s procurement needs.

The Benefits of Choosing Refurbished Office Furniture

1. Cost Savings Without Cutting Corners

Budgets are tight, every NHS procurement team knows that. Refurbished office furniture can reduce costs, freeing up vital funds for other areas without compromising on quality or compliance.


2. No Long Lead Times Get What You Need, Fast

Unlike brand-new furniture, which often comes with frustratingly long lead times, refurbished furniture is available immediately, ensuring rapid deployment with no disruption to your day-to-day operations.


3. 100% Compliance with NHS Procurement Standards

Every procurement decision has to meet strict NHS framework agreements. At Coggin SOS, our refurbished furniture fully complies with NHS health, safety, and sustainability standards, making it a hassle-free, risk-free choice for procurement teams.


4. A Huge Step Towards NHS Net Zero Targets

The NHS has made a bold commitment to reach Net Zero by 2045, and procurement teams play an important part in making that happen. Choosing refurbished furniture over new means:


  • Less waste-keeping perfectly good furniture out of landfill
  • Lower carbon emissions-cutting down on the energy-intensive manufacturing process
  • Fewer raw materials used-reducing environmental impact across the supply chain
  • It’s one of the most effective, immediate ways NHS trusts can take action on sustainability.


Learn how NHS infrastructure is adapting for a greener future.

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals’ Second-Hand Office Furniture Solution

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust faced a challenge familiar to many NHS procurement teams: how to upgrade office spaces efficiently while keeping costs down and aligning with NHS sustainability targets.


A Partnership for Achieving ESG Targets through Refurbished Office Furniture


The trust chose Coggin SOS as their main supplier, not just for used refurbished office furniture, but also for furniture refurbishment and zero-landfill office clearance services.


The trust’s team had a clear vision: create a greener, more eco-friendly working environment for their staff, patients, and visitors. Through our partnership, they achieved this while keeping costs down compared to buying new office furniture. Their choice helped reduce carbon emissions, saved valuable resources, and kept functional office furniture out of landfills, and supported the circular economy.


Making Sustainability Work


By choosing second-hand refurbished office furniture, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals shows how NHS trusts can make fast progress toward their ESG and net-zero targets while maintaining professional standards. 


Find out more about this project here.


Want to learn how your trust could benefit from sustainable office solutions? Get in touch today and let our team run you through the options. 

Why Lancashire's Teaching Hospitals’ Success Story Could Be Your Blueprint

The choices you make about office furniture today will shape your NHS trust’s future. Many NHS procurement teams are already making the switch to sustainable options and seeing the results. You can either be the person who made positive changes happen, or the one who had to explain why they didn't. 


Ready to see what's possible for your office furniture project? Your next smart choice could be just around the corner. Simply get in touch.

Government Office Furniture Assets: End of Year Investment Strategy with Sustainable Options

By Ida Gorecka • March 24, 2025
The financial year-end is approaching quickly. As budgets are finalised and procurement decisions loom, that familiar "use it or lose it" pressure creates a real dilemma for procurement professionals like you. You need smart investments that deliver genuine value, not hasty purchases that waste resources. While juggling procurement frameworks, sustainability targets, and public spending oversight, you need practical options. Premium refurbished office furniture offers the ideal solution that ticks every box on your procurement checklist while helping you beat that March budget deadline. Let's take a closer look at how this office furniture strategy can turn budget pressure into a genuine win for your department.

Understanding the Circular Economy in Office Furniture: A Comprehensive Analysis

By Ida Gorecka • March 20, 2025
Did you know that the way we design, use, and dispose of old office furniture is at a crossroads? With growing environmental concerns, tightening regulations, and shifting corporate sustainability goals, businesses can no longer afford to overlook the impact of their office fit-outs. The traditional 'take-make-dispose' model is outdated - and it's costing you money.  Modern organisations are shifting toward a more sustainable model , one where office desks, chairs, and storage units are reused, refurbished , or recycled instead of ending up in landfills and polluting our environment. This approach, called the circular economy , is all about getting the most value out of materials while reducing waste and cutting carbon emissions. Find out more about the circular economy and how it relates to your business here . But how does it actually work for your business? Let's break it down.

The Costs of Poor Office Furniture: How Investing in Quality Refurbished Options Is the Smarter Choice For SMEs

By Ida Gorecka • March 17, 2025
If you're running an SME, every spend counts. Whether you're launching a startup, expanding your team, or updating your workspace, office furniture plays a key role in daily operations. But here's what you should know - not all office furniture is created equal. Cutting corners on furniture might seem like a smart way to save money upfront, but poor-quality pieces can cost you far more in the long run. In fact, substandard office environments cost the UK economy approximately £4 billion annually in lost output. Investing in high-quality refurbished office furniture is a smarter, cost-effective solution. It's better for your budget, enhances productivity, supports employee well-being, and aligns with sustainability goals. Let's break down how cheap new furniture silently drains your budget, while quality refurbished pieces deliver returns year after year.
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