Office furniture reuse and circular economy: the Kytom method to frame AGEC, second-hand and targeted new furniture without degrading your timeline or design.
"We want to avoid throwing things away"
Throwing away a complete workstation costs between 80 and 150 euros excl. VAT, transport and skip included, according to Valdelia field feedback. On an 850 m² project, the clearance bill often exceeds 12,000 euros excl. VAT, whereas a reuse assessment recovers 30 to 50% of the residual value through resale or donation.
A poorly sequenced relocation forces security and facilities teams to undertake up to 3 weeks of parallel handling. <a href="https://www.anact.fr/ressources" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ANACT</a> documents an 18% increase in short absences during unprepared transfer periods. Structured reuse reduces the volume handled and secures internal logistics flows.
Since 2021, the AGEC law has imposed a minimum reuse rate of 20% on public furniture procurement. The regulatory framework applicable to tertiary buildings over 1000 m² also sets a trajectory for reducing energy consumption of 40% by 2030, 50% by 2040 and 60% by 2050. A director exposed on their employer brand has every interest in tracing each flow, otherwise risking a remark during environmental audits or BREEAM In-Use certifications.
Kytom integrates reuse from the usage assessment, even before spatial design. Since 2006, our 11 agencies have supported 1200+ tertiary clients, including a growing share on projects mixing requalified existing furniture, certified second-hand office furniture and targeted new items. We inventory each reference (Vitra, Herman Miller, Knoll or distributor brands), assess condition using a 4-level grid, then arbitrate between internal reuse, charitable donation and resale via platforms such as Adopte un Bureau. Our design office quantifies the avoided carbon savings using the emission factors from the Base Empreinte, and produces the Valdelia slip required by the EPR scheme. The project manager has consolidated reporting for senior management and the CSRD report.
Physical audit of the existing portfolio on site, labelling by lot, measurement of the residual functionality rate. Deliverable: exportable quantified inventory, referenced photos, estimate of avoidable tonnage. Allow 2 to 5 days depending on the surface, up to 1500 workstations handled by a team of 3 Kytom auditors.
Arbitration workshop with the project manager, CSR department and director: which lots reused internally, which lots transferred, which lots replaced. Deliverable: quantified decision matrix, compared carbon scenario, consolidated budget. The Kytom method integrates AGEC constraints and the project's environmental ambitions, whether certifications offering 3 performance levels per target (Base, Performant, Très Performant) according to <a href="https://www.mapes-pdl.fr/" rel="nofollow">MAPES Pays de la Loire</a> or other equivalent frameworks.
Layout plans integrating retained furniture, precise space planning, targeted new additions for the gaps. Deliverable: detailed design dossier with a mixed reuse/new schedule, technical data sheets, 3D renderings. Our architects harmonise the ranges to avoid a patchwork effect, particularly in reception areas and client rooms.
Logistics management: disassembly, professional cleaning, minor touch-ups, sequenced reinstallation. Traced removal of unsold items via an approved scheme. Deliverable: tracking slips, reuse certificate, final carbon assessment. The average timeline observed at Kytom for an 850 m² project is 12 weeks, handover included.
"We retained 62% of the existing furniture, reharmonised the whole and kept to the switchover schedule in 11 weeks. The executive committee approved the carbon assessment without reservation."
Yes, in 70% of documented Kytom projects, with a net saving of 25 to 40% at equivalent functional scope. The gain depends on the recovery rate of the existing portfolio and the cost of touch-ups, generally between 30 and 80 euros per workstation.
Our architects group reused furniture into coherent zones (back-office, project rooms) and concentrate new items in showcase spaces. A unified colour scheme and calibrated additions avoid a mismatched effect, particularly in open-plan areas with more than 40 workstations.
The AGEC law has imposed the EPR PMCB scheme and 7-stream sorting since 2025. Any holder of professional furniture must trace outgoing items via an approved eco-organisation such as Valdelia, otherwise risking an administrative fine of up to 15,000 euros per recorded breach.
Yes, the main environmental certification frameworks explicitly credit reused furniture, notably through criteria dedicated to materials and the circular economy. Kytom produces the supporting documents expected by certification bodies, integrated into the certification dossier.
Direction to an approved Valdelia or Ecomaison scheme, free of charge for the professional holder. The flows are weighed, traced and directed towards material recycling or energy recovery. Kytom issues a named certificate usable in environmental audits and CSRD reporting.
No, the average timeline remains 12 weeks for 850 m² at Kytom. The audit adds 3 to 5 days upfront, offset by the absence of new production on 30 to 60% of the furniture. The reinstallation logistics is sequenced to neutralise any delay.