Actual CO2 per product
These are full life-cycle numbers — materials, manufacturing, transport to our workshop, finishing, packaging, UK delivery. Calculated in-house using the DEFRA 2024 emission factors. Independently spot-checked by Carbon Minded (a Leeds-based LCA consultancy) in January 2026.
Where the materials come from
Every primary material we use has a traceable origin. If we can't verify a supply chain, we don't list it as certified. "Might be FSC" isn't FSC.
North Yorkshire oak
Kiln-dried European white oak, sourced from Treske Timber (Thirsk) — an FSC-certified merchant pulling from managed forests in Yorkshire and East Anglia. Chain of custody: FSC-C104591.
Polish particleboard core
E1-rated particleboard with melamine laminate face. PEFC mixed sources (not single-source verified). Made at our Poland partner's factory near Poznań.
Sheffield cold-rolled steel
Cold-rolled steel from Outokumpu Sheffield — 40% recycled content minimum. BES 6001 responsibly-sourced certification. Powder-coated in-house, water-based primer.
Die-cast aluminium
Chair base and armrest frames cast from ASI Performance-certified alloy. Includes a minimum 50% post-industrial recycled content. Sourced via Formec (Italy) who supply Herman Miller and Vitra.
Recycled PET mesh
Chair mesh is ~60% recycled polyester (from PET bottles). OEKO-TEX Standard 100. Woven in Taiwan — this is the part of the supply chain we're least happy with and actively sourcing closer.
Low-emission PU foam
Cold-cure polyurethane foam. CertiPUR-EU certified (no heavy metals, ozone-depleters, or prohibited phthalates). Moulded in Derby. We looked at plant-based alternatives — durability wasn't there yet.
Packaging — what's in the box
Everything we ship should decompose, be recycled at kerbside, or come back to us.
- Cardboard — 100% recycled kraft, unbleached. Outer boxes, corner protectors, inner trays. Kerbside recyclable in all UK councils.
- No polystyrene. Foam protection uses mushroom-based packaging (Ecovative, Netherlands) for fragile components. Compostable in garden compost — we include instructions.
- Paper tape, not plastic. Gummed kraft paper tape on all boxes. Recycles with the cardboard.
- Assembly bags — FSC-certified glassine paper for bolts and fittings, not plastic zip-bags. A compromise: slightly less convenient, significantly less landfill.
- No printed manuals — QR code inside each box links to the assembly video and PDF. Cuts ~180g of paper per desk.
- Blanket wrap for desks — reusable woven polypropylene blanket that the delivery team takes back at dispatch. Average reuse · 38 cycles.
Repair is the point
The greenest product is the one you don't replace. Our warranty assumes things break — gas struts wear, casters crack, drawer runners bind. We stock the parts so you can fix your furniture rather than bin it.
- Spare parts for the lifetime of the product — even after warranty expires. A replacement caster in year 8 costs £4, not £300 for a new chair.
- Parts shop live in Q3 2026. Direct order for common wear items. You email now, we ship anyway.
- No glued shells. Everything is bolted, screwed, or clipped. If you can assemble it, you can disassemble it.
- Service manuals on request — email warranty@deskrove.co.uk and we'll send the teardown diagram for your product.
When it's finally done
Nothing lasts forever. Here's what happens when a Deskrove product reaches end of life.
- Chair take-back — any Deskrove chair, any age, any condition. Email hello@deskrove.co.uk, we collect free within a 30-mile radius of the workshop (wider coverage planned for 2027). Chairs get refurbished and resold, or stripped for parts. Nothing is landfilled.
- Desks — we're smaller scale, so we can't take back every desk yet. We will refund you £50 off a new desk if you can show photo proof of responsible recycling of your old Deskrove desk.
- Peripherals — subject to each manufacturer's programme. Keychron, Logitech, and Sony all have take-back schemes; we link to them on each product page.
- Oak offcuts — workshop waste becomes chopping boards, coasters, and charity pieces. Nothing from the solid wood line hits the skip.
What we're not doing
Sustainability marketing is full of things brands claim but haven't earned. We'd rather list the gaps than fake the trophies.
- Measure and publish actual CO2 per product, using DEFRA factors
- Source local where possible — Oak from Yorkshire, steel from Sheffield
- Take back chairs free, any age, any condition
- Stock repair parts for the lifetime of the product
- Ship flat-packed — more boxes per lorry, fewer lorries on the road
- Use compostable packaging — mushroom foam, paper tape
- Buy carbon offsets. The voluntary offset market is broken. We'd rather not emit it than pay someone to not emit it.
- Claim carbon-neutral. We're not. Anyone at our scale claiming this is offsetting or lying.
- Use vegan leather. It's almost always polyurethane — plastic made to look natural. Real mesh and fabric, no pleather.
- Run an Amazon-scale peripheral range. Twelve products, chosen by us. We refuse a lot of brands.
- Hold B-Corp certification. Costs £10k and a year of paperwork. We'll revisit in 2027.
- Publish ESG fluff. No "stakeholder alignment journey" pages. Just numbers.
What's in progress
Dated commitments, not "by 2050" promises. If we miss a date, this page tells you.
Got a challenge on this page?
This is the page we most want to be wrong about — if you've spotted a weak claim or a missing number, tell us. We'll update or correct it within two weeks.
Email hello@deskrove.co.uk with "Sustainability" in the subject. Replies within one working day.
See also: About Deskrove, Warranty, Returns.