What to Do with Your Old Office Furniture: 5 Sustainable and Cost Friendly Solutions

1. Refurbish: Extend the Life of Your Current Office Furniture

Why spend a fortune on new furniture when your existing pieces could be expertly refurbished to look like new? That worn-out chair or outdated desk doesn't necessarily need replacement-it might just need some TLC. By choosing refurbishment, you can:

• Save on costs compared to buying new
• Extend the lifespan of high-quality office furniture by 10+ years
• Reduce your company’s carbon footprint by keeping materials in circulation
• Match your brand colours through custom reupholstery options

When you partner with Coggin SOS, we ensure your furniture investment continues to serve you. Our team specialises in premium office furniture refurbishment tailored to your needs-whether you want chairs customised to your brand colours, desks refinished to their former state, or reliable mechanisms repaired for daily use. We help you maintain the furniture you already value while avoiding waste and unnecessary replacement costs.

Find out more about how we can help by refurbishing your existing office furniture here.

2. Reuse: Keep Your Quality Office Furniture in Circulation

Many businesses dispose of perfectly good office furniture simply because they are upgrading or redesigning their office. But what if you could reuse these items? Rather than throwing away high-quality pieces:

1. Reallocate within your business: Move furniture to different departments, or use it in another office location where it might still have value.

2. Repurpose creatively: Turn workstations into collaborative desks or repurpose old cabinets into new storage solutions.

3. Sell or trade: If the office furniture is still in good condition, you can sell or trade it through resale programs to recover some of the initial investment.

3. Donate Your Old Office Furniture: Support Communities and Reduce Waste

When your old office furniture no longer fits your needs, donation is another great choice. Your office desks and chairs can become valuable resources for local charities and non-profits.

By donating, you help these organisations create functional workspaces they might not otherwise afford. Most will arrange convenient pickup and provide documentation for potential tax benefits. Your donation frees up valuable office space while supporting important community work. 

Instead of dealing with disposal headaches, you make a decision which extends the life of quality items and prevents unnecessary waste. It's a straightforward approach that turns your office furniture challenge into a community asset-a decision that works for everyone involved.

4. Recycle Your Old Office Furniture Responsibly

Not every piece of office furniture can be refurbished, but that doesn’t mean it should end up in a landfill. Recycling second-hand office furniture ensures that materials such as metal, plastic, and wood are recovered and repurposed for new uses.

At Coggin SOS, we take our zero-landfill promise seriously. We ensure that your old office furniture is carefully dismantled and its components processed through innovative recycling solutions. Our Buyback Promise offers you typically 10-20% of the original purchase value with free collection, making sustainability financially rewarding as well as environmentally responsible. Metals are transformed into raw materials for new products, while plastics and foam are repurposed and put back into the circular economy. Through our thorough recycling process, we maximise the value of every element, helping to preserve natural resources and reduce waste.

Three steps to responsibly recycle your old office furniture: Contact us. We collect. You receive ESG certification. That simple.

5. Plan Ahead and Support the Circular Economy

The most effective way to handle old office furniture is to plan for sustainability from the very beginning. When buying new office furniture, prioritise durability, modular design, and recyclability to ensure your office assets stay in circulation for as long as possible.

Here's how you can future-proof your office furniture strategy:

1. Choose modular and repairable designs: Opt for brands like Herman Miller and Orangebox, whose office furniture is built for longevity and easy refurbishment.

2. Work with sustainable furniture providers: Companies like Coggin SOS offer refurbished furniture solutions with 12-month warranties, ensuring that your furniture is built to last.

3. Partner with responsible disposal services: Make sure your old office furniture is properly recycled, donated, or resold through reliable services that follow sustainable practices.

Looking to save on costs and boost your green credentials, all while saving time? Take a look at our inventory and achieve all the above!

Close the Loop on Your Office Furniture Lifecycle

Still looking at that pile of unwanted office furniture? Whether those chairs need new upholstery, you're looking for quality refurbished pieces, or it's time for responsible recycling, don't let indecision cost you more space, time, and money.

Contact our team at Coggin SOS today and turn yesterday's office furniture problem into tomorrow's simple, sustainable solution. Because in the circular economy, what ends here creates measurable value elsewhere.