LFG chooses high quality, clean and safe materials. These form the basis for our sustainable products. We require our suppliers to account for the origin and/or production of their materials.

Less material

In the design, development and production of our furniture, we not only choose sustainable materials, we also minimise their consumption. For example, we manage valuable materials more efficiently. By definition, choosing high quality materials creates less waste. Any residual materials are always given a new home. Residual leather is sold on, while foam and foil is recycled.

Because LFG produces to order, we avoid materials not being used by only ordering on demand.
 

LFG uses wood to build most of its furniture (the frame), as well as visible parts such as armrests, legs and table tops. Our beech is obtained sustainably and is 100% FSC/PEFC certified, originating exclusively from replanting areas. LFG is also on its way to getting full (PEFC) certification for other wood types and sheet material.

Using beech wood parts guarantees the longevity of our furniture. By working with “eco wood” (composed of small parts) in standard dimensions, we have been able to minimise our waste percentage (<4%).

LFG is diligent in selecting the sheet material (including multiply) used for our frames, in connection with formaldehyde gas emissions. Although LFG does not use much multiply in its furniture, we still opt for qualities with the lowest emissions (Carb2-norm). This is not yet guaranteed for a limited number of models, but by the end of 2022 these products will also be free of added formaldehyde by the end of 2023.

Turning hides into furniture leather gives this waste material from the meat industry a great new life. This means that no animals are bred or slaughtered for their hides! Our employees work directly with European tanneries and have an overview of the tanning process, so we know exactly what we’re buying. And as they also check the quality locally, only approved leather is transported to Venlo.

All partner tanneries with which LFG works also account for their production methods through certifications. They are thus committed to minimising the environmental impact of the tanning process. The German environmental label ‘Blaue Engel’ is the most common and applies to over 80% of our leather.

We have our own locally produced leather within the LFG collection. In contrast to most leather which comes from Italy and southern Germany, the production of this leather does not involve transport over long distances.

Its origin is fully traceable.The pure and natural leather is made from the hides from Limousin cattle in Limburg. These are processed with natural substances into beautiful aniline leather, using only biodegradable pigments and tanning agents.

To facilitate the production of this local leather, LFG works with agricultural organisations and tanneries in the region. For the development of the brand new partnership, LFG is supported by the Province of Limburg.

Responsible upholstery choices

Leolux also offers clients alternative upholstery materials, the 'responsible choices'; we offer artificial leather as an alternative to natural leather.

The LFG fabrics originate from renowned manufacturers like De Ploeg, Alcantara, Gabriel and Kvadrat are popular in the contract market because they fulfil the highest standards with regard to sustainability, fire resistance and the environment. These LFG fabrics are certified according to the standards of Oeko-Tex, Greenguard, EU Ecolabel or even Cradle to Cradle. All fabrics (and other upholstery materials) are tested for flammability.

De Ploeg

Sustainability statement from De Ploeg: https://deploeg.com/en/

Kvadrat 

Various fabrics (e.g. Wool and Trevira CS) have a EU Ecolabel. Several Kvadrat fabrics also have Greenguard certification. Sustainability statement from Kvadrat: https://www.kvadrat.dk/en/about/our-environment

Gabriel

Sustainability statement from Gabriel: https://www.gabriel.dk/en/investor/reports/csr-and-environmental-reports/

Alcantara

Completely CO2 neutral in its manufacturing process. Sustainability report 2016 from Alcantara: https://sustainabilityreport.alcantara.com/

Responsible upholstery choices

Leolux also offers clients alternative upholstery materials, the 'responsible choices'; this includes fabrics that are woven using recycled PET materials (such as Merit from Maharam), or from recycled textiles (Re-wool from Kvadrat/Twin Wool from De Ploeg).

LFG only uses certified high-quality foams for maximum comfort. The production process does not involve any harmful CFCs and the LFG foam lasts a very long time. Foam moulding injection is used for many items of LFG furniture. Thus (almost) no waste is created. In 2021, we started working with a partner who can reuse our waste for producing our own cushion filling (Eco-fill).

Fire safety: Because of its fixed upholstery, LFG furniture is fire retardant. Some countries require the foam to be extra flame retardant, which is why almost all LFG products can be delivered with foam that complies with the ‘British Standard’ (BS) or the American TB 117:2013 standard. Unlike the BS standard the American standard permits no chemical fire retardants.

LFG aims for the safest and cleanest solution for the adhesives and lacquers used in our products. With our adhesives, we are now able to use 95% water-based products, thus minimising Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions. Water-based lacquers are sadly not yet an option for the final finishing because they do not yet meet our high standards.

We obviously want to be able to guarantee a scratch-resistant lacquer layer. We therefore choose the environmentally-friendly powder coating technique (for all metal parts) wherever possible. When using lacquers with solvents, at LFG we always comply with strict safety rules. Employees wear protective equipment and the purification plants in our lacquer factory ensure that the emissions are reduced according to stringent norms.

Packaging

For internal transport and materials delivered to LFG, we use re-usable packaging / crates wherever possible. LFG ships most of its furniture itself, thus minimising the amount of packaging materials. Furniture is protected with high quality, reusable plastic covers. Furthermore, packaging material purchased by LFG, paper and cardboard must also have an FSC quality mark.

Paper

All the paper used by LFG is printed on paper with FSC certification. From printed paper to brochures and sugar packets. In the washrooms, LFG uses recycled paper with C2C certification.