Fritz Hansen’s recently launched ReNEW programme is closing the loop on the company’s production cycles while allowing its customers the chance to invest in refurbished and recrafted classic designs
Photography by Fritz Hansen
Words by Roddy Clarke
Building on its heritage of over 150 years, legendary Danish design house Fritz Hansen launched an internal programme earlier this year titled ReNEW – a circular initiative ensuring its original shell chairs can remain in use for as long as possible. Implemented through a dual approach for both retail and commercial clients, the scheme plans to take back the brand’s Ant, Grand Prix, Lily and Series 7 models (dating back to 1955), which are subsequently restored and repaired in the Danish factory before being shipped back to clients or made available for resale.
With the brand’s design ethos centred on longevity, and with a commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in scope 1 and 2 by 38% by 2025, this initiative is another step towards a circular future for the company – ensuring its products can stay in use for generations to come, through tangible and realistic solutions. And, with upgrades available too, including adding upholstery to existing designs, the ReNEW programme ensures all refurbished chairs come with a renewed full 10-year warranty.
Lars Galsagaard, the brand’s CCO, explains how the initiative is currently only available in Europe as they test the model and work through the logistics of implementing such a scheme. ‘Our competitive advantage lies in owning our factory and having complete control over the supply chain, resulting in a highly efficient production process,’ he says, while explaining that each chair is brought back to the factory for the refurbishing process. ‘Our virgin production line is efficient, so there’s no need to create a new production line for this, as it’s already optimised. Even with the logistics of bringing it back to the factory, a refurbished chair has around one-third of the carbon footprint of a new model.’
Photography by Fritz Hansen
Currently, ReNEW is only available to the commercial sector. However, the plan is to roll out the programme to retail and residential clients during the next three years, once the logistics have been ironed out. While all components have been replaceable for years through the brand’s spare parts availability, it hopes that in formalising this process it will allow ‘recrafted’ designs to coexist alongside new collections and launches.
‘Of course, this means the consumption of new products will go down and we know that income stream will be reduced,’ Galsagaard continues. ‘But we are approaching this with a long-term vision and can see the value of these added income streams in the future. ReNEW is just the lever towards opening these up. I envision both new and recrafted products to merge and coexist as part of our offering side by side.’
While such schemes and initiatives have been seen before, the commitment to capturing the data to back up the brand’s sustainability drive is admirable. Offering full transparency, the carbon footprint of each design, both virgin and refurbished, is available and verified through a third-party agency. ‘This really just amplifies the quality and longevity of our products and how they have the durability to be restored and refurbished time and time again,’ Galsagaard says. ‘And we are already looking at inserting a chip into each design which will act as a digital product passport, meaning we can track the movements of each product to ensure they stay in use for as long as possible.’
With the next five years looking promising for Fritz Hansen as these schemes develop and become more established on a global level, it is a reminder that truly ‘well-made’ products are created with multiple lives in mind. And, coming from a brand of such heritage, it offers hope in seeing a dedicated commitment to continual change and innovation – another reminder of why the brand has remained at the forefront of the design world for over a century and a half.
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