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Sustainability

Sustainability (the kind that doesn't make headlines)

Environmental sustainability is a serious issue. A very serious one.
And, probably, still far too underestimated.

There are those who try to do their bit with great commitment, often with a limited impact overall.
Meanwhile, however, the countries and sectors that really affect the environmental balance continue to operate according to economic logic that rarely coincides with the protection of resources.

It’s a bit like trying to empty a bath with a teaspoon, whilst the tap remains running.

Within this scenario, the difference we can make — as a company that designs and manufactures furniture — is, objectively speaking, limited.

An efficient production process, capable of guaranteeing quality at a price accepted by the market, is today unlikely to coincide with the drastic reduction in environmental impact that would be necessary on a global scale.

This is not a surrender.
It is the starting point.

So what?

If you’re looking for reassuring slogans or sweeping statements, this page will probably surprise you. Not because we don’t believe in sustainability. But because we prefer to approach it with a little less rhetoric. For us, it means, above all, structure and accountability.
It means adopting certified systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, EMAS and FSC®.

In other words: checks, inspections, procedures, and regular audits.
External parties who analyse processes and results, and verify that what we say matches what we do. It’s not the most spectacular part of our work.
But it is the part that allows us to measure, correct and improve.

Why these images?

On this page, we have chosen not to use the usual feel-good images of forests, waterfalls and sprouting plants. We have opted instead for more direct, and at times uncomfortable, representations. Not for the sake of provocation, but because the real environmental impact is rarely aesthetic. It concerns our daily habits: the clothes we buy and quickly replace, the volume of online orders we generate, and the food choices we make every day. Cycling is a positive choice, for both health and the environment. But on its own, it is not enough to change a complex system. Similarly, for a company, introducing recycled materials or converting part of its fleet to electric vehicles is a step in the right direction, but it is not a definitive solution. And presenting all this with glossy images and absolute promises risks oversimplifying an issue that is, in fact, complex.

What we actually do

Recognising our limitations does not mean giving up on taking action.

It means focusing on actions that are consistent with our scale and role:

– keeping our supply chain as local as possible, to reduce the impact of transport
(most of our production takes place within 40 km of our headquarters)

– using energy from renewable sources

– working on the management and reduction of waste

– designing products intended to be more easily recyclable at the end of their life

– choosing recycled materials when the solution is also sustainable in terms of quality and cost

– using wood from certified forests

These are choices that do not solve the global problem.
But they help to make us more consistent and more aware.

True’s approach

We aren’t perfect.
We aren’t ‘100% sustainable’.

We are a manufacturing company, and as such we use resources.
However, we can measure our impact, gradually reduce it, and work to improve.

No grand claims.
No reassuring, token images.
An approach that may be less spectacular, but is more in line with reality.