For a digital product passport for furniture, you typically need four types of documents: a material and parts list of the furniture item, origin information about raw materials such as wood and textiles, declarations from suppliers about substances identified as substances of concern in the EU, and information about repair, spare parts and processing at the end of the product's life. Test reports or certificates are added to this when they already exist, for example for fire safety or stability.
The detail that comes up most frequently with furniture, and where companies typically get stuck, is information about substances of concern. This is not about the end product as a whole, but about individual components: the fabric of the upholstery, the foam of the seat, the adhesive in the chipboard, the coating on the frame. Each of these components usually comes from a different supplier, and you must obtain that declaration for each component separately. This makes it different from most of the other documents on the list, which you often already have within your own company.
The core of the list
The basis of a furniture passport consists of data that most manufacturers already record for production or procurement: a description of the product, the materials it is made of, the dimensions and weight, and the name of the manufacturer or importer. This is supplemented by information on sustainability in a practical sense: can the product be repaired, can spare parts be reordered, and how should the furniture item best be separated or processed after use. These are documents that you can complete yourself with some research, because the knowledge about them is usually already present in the company.
Why substances of concern require separate attention
The regulation on which the furniture passport is based requires the notification of substances that are on the European Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern, when present in a concentration above a certain threshold in a component. For a manufacturer who does not process chemicals itself but does purchase upholstery, foam, adhesives and coatings, this means that responsibility for that information largely lies with the suppliers. Without a declaration from that supplier, you yourself have no way of knowing whether a substance is present. This is precisely the point at which a list of documents that looks complete on paper turns out to be incomplete in practice.
What you ask of your suppliers
It is customary to ask suppliers for a written declaration per delivered component or material, stating whether substances on the Candidate List are present and in what concentration. Larger suppliers often already have such a declaration ready because other customers in other sectors ask the same question. For smaller suppliers, this is often new for both parties, and it can take some time before the declaration is complete. It is therefore advisable to ask this question early in the process, not just when the passport is being compiled. In the knowledge base with explanations for each situation there is more information about how this information relates to other rules concerning chemical substances.
Documents that are often already available
In addition to material and substance information, these are documents that exist especially in project furnishing and export: a declaration of conformity if applicable, technical drawings or specifications, and warranty or maintenance information already provided to customers. For companies that already work with supplier assessment or a quality system, some of this documentation is therefore already available, just not yet bundled with the passport in mind.
When information is missing
Den præcise liste over obligatoriske data pr. møbelproduktkategori fastlægges først, når den tilhørende delegerede retsakt offentliggøres; på nuværende tidspunkt er en dato herfor endnu ikke endelig. Det betyder, at en del af dokumentationskravene nu allerede kan navngives med rimelig sikkerhed, og en del stadig kan ændre sig. For den præcise forklaring på en forpligtelse, og for spørgsmålet om, hvordan du bedst anmoder om manglende oplysninger, er den kompetente tilsynsmyndighed eller en jurist den rette instans; denne artikel giver kun en beskrivelse af forordningen i almene termer.
Praktisk start
Et godt første skridt er at udarbejde et overblik over alle komponenter og materialer, der indgår i et møbelstyke, med leverandørens navn bag ved. Således bliver det på et øjeblik klart, hos hvem hvilken erklæring stadig skal anmodes. Ønsker du først at se, hvordan furnipas.eu behandler fabrikantens eller importørens data til et paspoort, læser du det på siden om, hvordan data behandles, herunder hvordan følsomme leverandøroplysninger håndteres på siden om datahåndtering.
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