The environment and social criteria are two of the main concerns of consumers and professionals alike, irrespective of the field of activity concerned, as shown by advertisements, press articles or forum discussions.
The office furniture market is no different and strong expectations exist on the matter.
This is the context in which office furniture manufacturers, representatives of the Brand NF Bureau Sécurité
Confortique and the FCBA (French Technological Institute for Forestry, Cellulose, Timber-construction, Furniture),
Aware of the developments and new market expectations, wanted to provide an even more comprehensive response by launching a new brand in October 2011 which, besides the product quality level, integrates a social responsibility aspect: NF Office Excellence Certifié.
In support of their thinking and in order to anticipate future expectations, they used a survey as a basis, conducted
by the fi rm SocioVision (2009), with a view to improving their understanding of the purchase itinerary of a consumer because we should not forget that a public or private purchaser is also a consumer!
Therefore, NF Bureau Sécurité Confortique is all about product excellence.
With NF Office Excellence Certifié environmental and social criteria supplement the product excellence.
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For the manufacturer
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For the purchaser
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For the user & consumer
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Unlike the self-declaration of conformity, the brand NF Office Excellence Certifié promises transparency
and impartiality as guaranteed by AFNOR Certification. It should be noted that NF Office Excellence Certifié is the only offi ce furniture certifi cation brand in France, issued by an independent body FCBA.
| Criteria | Standard | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product excellence | |||
| Ergonomics | |||
| NF EN 1335-1 | Dimensions of seats + adaptation of the comfort of the seat | ||
| NF EN 527-1 | Dimensions of desks + an adjustable desk per range | ||
| NF EN 1023-1 | Dimensions of partition walls | ||
| NF EN ISO 9241-5 | Work station in front of a display screen | ||
| Proven safety | |||
| NF EN 1335-2 | Safety of seats | ||
| NF EN 527-2 | Safety of desks | ||
| NF EN 1023-2 | Safety of partition walls | ||
| NF EN 14073-2 | Safety of storage areas | ||
| NF EN 1021-1-2 | Ignitability of padded furniture | ||
| Life span | |||
| NF EN 1335-3 | Life span of seats | ||
| NF EN 527-3 | Life span of desks | ||
| NF EN 1023-3 | Life span of partition walls | ||
| NF EN 14073-3 | Life span of storage furniture | ||
| NF EN 14074 | Life span of the mobile parts of furniture | ||
| NF D 60050 | Tests and life span of fi nishes | ||
| XPD 61040-4 | Tests and life span of the materials used to cover and decorate | ||
| Ability to reproduce | |||
| Quality assurance | |||
| ISO 9001 | Management of the quality to produce each day with the same quality level + annual inspections on site | ||
| Standard | |||
| Environnement | |||
| 13 criteria of the Standard NF Environment Furniture | |||
| Turpentine | Know about turpentine in keeping with the standard NF B50-001 and not to use essences of controversial sources. | ||
| Origin & traceability of wood | Know the forest origin and the management procedure of the wood. Of which a defi ned part (in terms of volume or mass) must be certifi ed: 70% for solid wood and 50% for wooden panels. | ||
| Emission of formaldehyde | Get supplies, for the manufacture of eco-labelled products, fi breboard or particles whose emissions of formaldehyde should not exceed 50% of the limit value which enables them to be classifi ed E1 according to relevant European standards. | ||
| Textiles | Compliance with the ecological criteria set out in the Community Eco-label for textiles or other national or regional ISO Eco-label of the Type I or the Oeko Tex 100 label | ||
| Packaging system | Use materials which are easy to recycle and/or which stem from renewable resources. The use of complex composite is authorised if this is multi-rotation packaging. | ||
| Optimisation of storage requirements | To justify the inclusion of this factor with documents such as the loading plans, the consideration of the design of products, the proposed packaging instructions... | ||
| Serviceability | Should be in keeping with the serviceability requirements as set out in the standard of the «Product certifi cation brand» considered. | ||
| Electric consumption | Integrate low-energy consumption light sources (compact fl uorescent bulbs, LEDs ...) in the event that a lighting function is proposed. | ||
| Information to provide to the user | Mark the product with the NF Furniture Environment logo. Inform the fi nal consumer of the benefits of eco labelling, rules of product maintenance, the preferred management at the end of use of the product and, where applicable, extremely hazardous substances present in the product greater than 0.1%. | ||
| Services to the user | Guarantee the sustainability of the offer by maintaining stock and/or continuity of the capacity to manufacture on demand of products and spare parts over the effective manufacturing period and 5 years after. | ||
| Separability of materials | Provide for the possibility of separating any element with a mass over 50 grams at the end of the product life. | ||
| Labelling plastic parts | Permanently label plastic elements which have a mass over 50 grams and elements which have a mass under 50 grams if the total mass exceeds 100 grams. | ||
| Collection of furniture at the end | Undertake a collection procedure for used products. | ||
| Social et Sociétal (prérequis à la certification) | |||
| Fairness & Diversity | |||
| A criterion to choice | |||
| Male/female parity in the Executive Committee. | |||
| % male/female. | |||
| % senior employees. | |||
| % employees under the age of 25. | |||
| % disabled employees (> French regulations). | |||
| Health & Safety at work | |||
| A criterion to choice | |||
| Work accident – rate – frequency - severity. | |||
| Defi nition of operating procedure displayed at work stations. | |||
| Carrying out the actions of the CHSCT. | |||
| Ergonomics at the work station. | |||
| Interactions between the stakeholders | |||
| Client satisfaction | Assessment and actions to the satisfaction of the clients. | ||
| Purchases of managers | Assessment of suppliers. | ||
| Local communities | Interactions with local communities or associations. | ||
| Employee satisfaction | Employee consultation and information. | ||