Analysis and measurement of the sustainability level in the furniture industry

Alexandre André Feil (), Iane Brito Reiter, Renata Oberherr, Virgílio José Strasburg and Dusan Schreiber
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Alexandre André Feil: University of Vale do Taquari – Univates
Iane Brito Reiter: University of Vale do Taquari - Univates
Renata Oberherr: University of Vale do Taquari - Univates
Virgílio José Strasburg: University Federal of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Dusan Schreiber: University of Feevale

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2022, vol. 24, issue 12, No 10, 13657-13682

Abstract: Abstract Sustainability assessment of the furniture industry using a group of indicators and/or index concerning the manufacture of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)-based furniture is scarce in literature and in organizational practice. For this assessment to be effective and to contribute with the management process, the group of sustainability indicators defined under the perspective of the triple bottom line approach must be specific to the activity and to company size. Therefore, the present study aims to measure and analyze sustainability at an organizational level, to help in management and decision-making processes of micro- and small-sized furniture companies in the Taquari Valley region, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The methodology used was qualiquantitative considering a multiple-case study applied to 29 furniture companies, based on interviews and document research. The main results showed that the construction of a sustainability index was validated by statistical methodologies, which supported the consistence and quality of the sustainability assessment of furniture companies. The sustainability level was considered higher than 0.600 (0.000–1.000) in 75.8% of the 29 furniture companies. Sustainability effectiveness was higher regarding indicators of the economic and social dimensions and lower regarding the environmental dimension. The environmental dimension of the furniture companies had the most critical results, especially regarding the indicators “Recycling and reuse”, “Electric energy”, “Water”, and “Waste recycling”. In conclusion, sustainability assessment of the furniture industry using a group of indicators and an index helped highlight the indicators related to the three sustainability dimensions, thus enabling the identification of weaker aspects.

Keywords: Furniture industry; SME; Sustainability index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-02005-8

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