Hello! 🍂
It is officially cozy season. 🍁 At reFern, we have been very busy building our product for you all to try out soon! 💻 For this months newsletter we thought we’d share our story and tell you a little more about us.
Interior Emissions Matter ! 🛋
Why should we track interior emissions and what exactly does that mean? Every single finished good from furniture, flooring, carpets, ceiling tiles, and lighting fixtures have emitted carbon throughout their life cycle before ending up in a building. When we add up the impacts, the interiors account for a substantial portion of embodied carbon emissions—often exceeding that of structural and envelope components
SHOW US THE FACTS.
A study done by LMN Architects highlights the significant carbon impacts of interior renovations in existing buildings. The key points include:
Existing Buildings and Renovations: By 2050, 80% of buildings in urban areas will have already been constructed. Frequent interior renovations— every 5-20 years —lead to significant waste and carbon emissions due to materials being discarded prematurely.
Furniture Waste Crisis: The rise of “fast furniture” has led to a 450% increase in furniture waste in the U.S. . Most furniture is not designed for longevity or recycling, resulting in about 80% ending up in landfills.
Data Gaps: Many carbon reporting frameworks overlook items, despite it contributing significantly to emissions. Many materials, including Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FF&E), lack Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), making it difficult to complete whole building carbon assessments.
Strategies for Mitigation: To reduce the carbon footprint of interior projects, strategies include prioritizing second-hand or remanufactured furniture, and choosing materials with low embodied carbon. Offering designers and end-users resources and alternatives to discarding furniture is crucial.
Figure 1. Interior Embodied Carbon Breakdown from LMN Architects
The report indicated that nearly 50% of the project's interior emissions were attributable to furniture (see Figure 1 above). We can all agree that collecting data on finished goods, especially complex items like furniture, is challenging if a manufacturer doesn't provide it. Additionally, many of us don’t have the time to track down this information.
This is where reFern comes in. 🌿
An AI-powered platform that tracks interior emissions, helping you understand the impact of your design and offer an action plan for more sustainable and healthy spaces.
We train our models to bridge the materials data gap, providing you with more accurate estimations for items used in your design during the initial phases, even when all information may not be available.
We also offer alternative suggestions for your design with items to help reduce overall emissions. (Introducing cost-benefit feature soon!)
You can check whether the materials in your design meet various certifications and standards, including LEED, WELL, Red List Free, and Lead-Free, among others. (Contact us for the complete list.)
We streamline the sharing of sustainability information across different parties in the design process and store it all in one place for long-term use.
Ask: 🔊
Join Our Waitlist: Our MVP launch date is approaching, and you can be among the first to test out reFern. We’re already gathering a list of eager users, so don’t miss out— submit a request to be added to our waitlist now!
Pilot Design Partners: We’re excited to collaborate with top interior designers and sustainability experts! If you have projects that need an interior LCA or want to learn how to reduce emissions in your designs, we’re here to help simplify the process. Book a chat with us here.
Join us on this Journey! 🌍️
Thank you for being part of our mission to achieve sustainable design excellence. We’re just getting started, and we can’t wait to share every step of this journey with you!
Have a Question?
Feel free to send us an email @ [email protected]
A very Happy Diwali 🪔 and Happy Halloween 🎃 to those celebrating !
Warm regards,
The reFern Team
