Why does Furniture have a Product Stewardship Council?

This article was contributed by AFISC.

Australia generates 30,000 tonnes of commercial furniture waste every year, and up to 95% of it ends up in landfill. Furniture is often difficult to recycle because many products contain composite materials, adhesives, coatings and fire retardants that improve durability and performance but make repair, disassembly and material recovery more challenging at end of life. That gap is exactly what the Australian Furnishing Industry Stewardship Council (AFISC) was created to address, bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, government and other stakeholders to develop practical product stewardship initiatives that improve outcomes across the furniture lifecycle. 

What Product Stewardship Means

In Australia, product stewardship is a formal concept under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, which sets out three ways an industry can take responsibility for a product across its full lifecycle, from design through to disposal:

• Voluntary arrangements, where an industry body sets up and runs a scheme itself, which can apply for formal government accreditation.
• Co-regulatory arrangements, delivered by industry but regulated by the Australian Government, often with specific targets set in regulation.
• Mandatory schemes, where the government legislates requirements directly, typically only after voluntary efforts haven’t delivered results.

Most schemes start life as industry-led, voluntary efforts. The goal is to get ahead of a waste problem before the government determines that stronger regulatory intervention is needed, which tends to be more prescriptive and less flexible for the businesses involved.em before the government has to legislate a solution, which tends to be more prescriptive and less flexible for the businesses involved.

Where AFISC Fits In

AFISC was established following the Australian Furniture Association’s Commercial Furniture Design for the Circular Economy (F360) project, an Australian Government supported initiative that explored how product stewardship and circular economy principles could be applied across Australia’s commercial furniture sector. AFISC emerged as one of the key outcomes of that work, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, government and other stakeholders to advance product stewardship and circularity across the industry.

Because it’s industry-led, AFISC’s early focus is on building the practical infrastructure that a circular furniture sector needs: shared standards, industry education, and tools that help businesses, procurers and government improve product transparency, repairability and end of life outcomes.

Why Product Stewardship Matters

For procurement teams and businesses buying commercial furniture, a sector-wide stewardship body matters beyond the environmental case. Australia’s national Environmentally Sustainable Procurement (ESP) Policy is driving government and large organisations toward suppliers who can demonstrate credible sustainability practices. AFISC is helping to create a more consistent, sector wide approach, reducing the need for buyers to piece together each supplier’s individual sustainability claims. As more of the industry aligns behind common standards, comparing suppliers on genuine sustainability performance, rather than marketing language, should become considerably easier.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a product stewardship council?

A product stewardship council is an industry-led body that brings businesses and other stakeholders together to improve the environmental performance of products across their lifecycle. This may include initiatives relating to product design, durability, repairability, reuse, recycling, product information and end of life management.

What is AFISC?

AFISC (the Australian Furnishing Industry Stewardship Council) is the industry body leading product stewardship and circular economy initiatives for Australia’s furniture and furnishing sector. It was established following the Australian Furniture Association’s Commercial Furniture Design for the Circular Economy project, an Australian Government supported initiative that explored practical approaches to improving product stewardship and reducing furniture waste

Is product stewardship mandatory in Australia?

It depends on the scheme. Under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020, product stewardship can be voluntary, co-regulatory (industry-run but government-regulated) or mandatory (legislated directly). Most schemes, including AFISC, begin as voluntary, industry-led initiatives.

Are there other product stewardship councils in Australia?

Yes. Examples include the Australian Bedding Stewardship Council (mattresses), Paintback (paint and packaging), and MobileMuster (mobile phones), each covering a specific product category.