The answer to this question is YES. Especially when they are compared with a traditional desk.
Historically, office desks have been produced out of mdf or chipboard with melamine or paper finishes. And they were a lot of panels. When we are installing new standing desks we are often removing the previous desks. The amount of unrecyclable material in older desks is way more.
The main progress was made when standing desks started having steel frames. Of course, these are completely recyclable (see our FAq below) and the mdf/chipboard components were restricted to the tops.
The electrical componentry can also be recycled as e-waste but they only really comprise a control box (plastic and wiring) and a console (plastic and a small chipboard and wiring).
At Powercore we have also made strides in ensuring that standing desk packaging is completely recyclable. We use only cardboard packaging (no polystyrene or foam). This means that when people buy online they don't have to worry about removing unrecyclable packaging.
People often ask about power usage of a standing desk and this is an area where we have made real advances. We introduced a sleep function into our standing desks which means that they use no power whatsoever when idle. Its only when you change height that a standing desk will draw any current at all. It means that we can run up to 6 standing desks on a standard 5 amp circuit. The decrease in power usage means that office users can avoid the cost of setting up 20 amp circuits for a pod of standing desks.
We are currently developing an even more environmentally friendly desk with a honeycomb top that is both lighter to handle and easily crushed and recycled. We expect this standing desk to be with us by mid-2024.
We believe that as standing desks develop their environmental impact will lessen even more. And Powercore expects to be leading with environmentally friendly innovations.
FAQ
Don't the MDF tops contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment ?
Yes MDF or particle board contains glue that holds the whole board together. There is no doubt about that. But consider for a moment the options and their environmental impact ?
You could use natural timber tops. For a log time this was what furniture was made of and look what that has done to the environment ? There are , of course, sustainable logging programs that ensure your top is from a sustainable source.
MDF or particle board are basically made from compressed pulp and that opens the opportunity to use recycled materials. We think that the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages of using glue to bind the pulp.
Doesn't cardboard packaging increase the chances of my desk or chair arriving damaged ?
How would I dispose of the desk frame and top at the end of it's useful life ?
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