EFIC is the European Furniture Industries Confederation, representing over 70% of the total turnover of the European Furniture Industries, a sector that employs 1 million people in about 130.000 enterprises across the EU and generates a turnover of over 100 billion Euros. The EFIC membership is composed of 19 national associations, one individual company member and several clusters.
Our manufacturers embrace sustainability and the opportunities that the twin transition will bring, including new products in line with lifestyle changes and sustainability trends, as well as new business models.
Legislation such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) are pivotal. To fully close the loop in our sector, a holistic approach to circular economy is needed, based on a combination of tools, including appropriate ecodesign requirements that truly support lifetime extension and harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes across the EU for furniture, incentives, stimulating demand for circular products, skilled workforce and providing SME support.
The sector is currently undergoing profound change. The twin transition – green and digital – is reshaping production methods, materials, and business models. At the same time, companies face growing labour shortages and increasing demands for new skills. The upcoming implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will bring further changes, setting new sustainability and design requirements that will influence how products are conceived, manufactured, and marketed. These transformations make it essential to equip the workforce with the right technical and transversal competences.
Through FLIER, EFIC has contributed to mapping these evolving needs and translating them into practical recommendations for training and policy development. By linking our policy work on the ESPR to the project, we have underlined how regulatory developments are shaping the skills profile of tomorrow’s furniture professionals – from eco-design and material efficiency to traceability and data management.
Moreover, EFIC has contributed its experience as a European social partner to identify and address the skills needs of the furniture industry, while also supporting the dissemination of FLIER project results through its network and within the Sectoral Social Dialogue.
