Blå Station safeguards sustainable development, respecting people’s living conditions and conserving flora and fauna, nature and the climate.
Social responsibility in relation to the climate and the environment
Ever since Blå Station was founded in 1986 we have been environmentally aware by working to seven + one criteria for long-term sustainable development. This means that we only use high quality materials that are recyclable and renewable whenever possible. Each item of Blå Station furniture should deserve a place in the market. This means, for example, that the design quality should be so high that the furniture will be attractive in the market for a long time to come. Furniture that you like and can use your whole life needn’t be replaced – which is good news for the environment. We use carefully selected manufacturing techniques and aim to optimise our transport. The fact that all our furniture is made in Sweden makes it easier for us to check the entire manufacturing process from product idea to delivery to customers; as a result, it is easier for our customers to make an environmentally aware choice.
Precautionary principle
We use an environmental management system according to ISO 14001 to guarantee that we perform effective and well-structured environmental work. We apply the precautionary principle to environmental risks and we choose environmentally efficient processes and manufacturing methods.
Initiatives to promote greater climate responsibility
At Blå Station we have chosen to ecolabel parts of our product range to guide our customers towards actively making environmentally aware choices. We have primarily ecolabelled furniture that is often used in particularly demanding environments with strict requirements for use. By selecting products made of various materials, we demonstrate the breadth in our product range.
Backing development of environmentally friendly technologies
Over the years Blå Station has become renowned for being a driving force in the Swedish furniture industry by introducing new materials and new manufacturing methods. At the end of the 1980s and in the early 1990s Blå Station played a leading part in reducing the formaldehyde content of glue used in moulded components. Instead of accepting the quantity of formaldehyde that was deemed necessary for good results, Blå Station used a completely formaldehyde-free glue as a starting point and succeeded in producing a glue that according to test results only contains a quarter of today’s E1 standard for formaldehyde emissions.
Prevent pollution to air, water and land
To boost the environmental efficiency of its daily operations, Blå Station uses an environmental management system according to ISO 14001. This means that we continually implement environmentally beneficial measures in a structured way. By improving the efficiency of our transport and production processes we try to cut our pollution to air, land and water.
Many components in our furniture are based on a modular concept, which means that they are used in several models and are replaceable. This lengthens the lifecycle of each product by facilitating replacement of broken parts and enabling the customer to change the appearance of the furniture by fitting a different coloured component, for example. Our furniture can be dismantled to the greatest extent possible – totally without the use of special tools – which makes waste disposal easier.
Our product Stol 69 is one good example of our environmental commitment in choice of materials and design. This chair has been designed to make maximal use of the raw materials that it comprises, thus minimising waste. It comprises two sections that are put together entirely without screws and fittings, which facilitates both assembly and disassembly.
The chairs in our Peek series are another example; they are made using moulded pulp, a material including recycled plastic.
Our aluminium chairs Sting and Gecco are two more examples and are made using extruded aluminium. This manufacturing technique – which we were the first to apply in the furniture industry – means that chairs can be made in continuous lengths, which almost entirely eliminates waste.