Cassina and sustainability: 95% of waste recycled or recovered by 2024

For the first time, in addition to Cassina's philosophy and achievements, the book contains an in-depth look at the entire Design Division of the Haworth Lifestyle group, the new organisation that also includes the companies Karakter, Zanotta and Cappellini under the leadership of Luca Fuso, with two chapters dedicated to Zanotta and Cappellini.

For Cassina, explains Luca Fuso, product 'sustainability' translates first and foremost into the creation of durable products that best represent Italian manufacturing excellence, and the integration of circularity principles from the earliest stages of design, without compromising aesthetics and comfort. Also in 2024, Cassina has focused its design innovation on the use of recycled and foamed materials derived from biological origin, now adopted as standard in upholstery, and on the total or partial disassemblability of products.

As an operational lever of this philosophy, Cassina uses the 'Circular Tool', a tool (aligned with the main international standards on circular economy and validated by an independent body) that allows the circularity of products to be measured quantitatively. Constantly updated and validated by a technical specification, the Circular Tool analyses key indicators such as disassembly, recyclability, energy recovery and end-of-life scenarios, supporting design choices aimed at reducing environmental impact from the earliest stages.

This philosophy applies as much to new products as to those of the past, which are revisited and renewed in a sustainable key: Patricia Urquiola's Dudet Sofa and Dudet Armchair models, for example, have been designed to facilitate the recycling of materials at the end of their life cycle, thanks to the possibility of separating the metal structure from the polyurethane foam padding, made with a percentage of polyols derived from biological sources. The upholstery can also be removed thanks to the zip that runs along the inner arch of the legs. The re-edition of the Cornaro model, designed by Carlo Scarpa in 1973, on the other hand, uses innovative materials, such as recycled polyester fibre, a polyurethane with a percentage of polyols derived from biological sources, and a polyurethane containing recycled polyols, used inside the cushions. Furthermore, Cornaro contains no glued parts and is completely disassemblable.

A pioneer in the furniture-design sector, Cassina has for many years been offering welfare programmes aimed at improving the well-being of its employees (a total of 326 people in Italy and 36 abroad, 90% of whom are employed on a permanent basis), reconciling work life with the personal dimension, and involving its employees more closely in company processes. In fact, in 2024 and 2025, the company was awarded Top Employers certification, an acknowledgement aimed at companies that have generated a positive impact on the lives of their employees, thanks to the results achieved in areas such as human resources strategy and management, training and professional development, through to employee well-being and involvement, diversity and inclusion, and corporate culture.

This also includes the launch, in 2024, of Cassina's first Quality Week, an internal training initiative dedicated to the knowledge of the materials used, a symbol of the brand's manufacturing excellence. Several 20-30 minute sessions, open to all staff and conducted by in-house experts, explored traditional and innovative materials, with a focus on those with a minor orientation towards greater sustainability. Last year, Cassina delivered over 1,745 hours of training, with an average of 5.4 hours per employee, through a programme covering several areas.

Cassina's vision is to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution at all stages of the production process. The company actively contributes to the achievement of climate goals. including the use of 100% renewable electricity at production sites by 2025 and the achievement of short and long-term emission reduction targets approved by SBTi.15.

Cassina has embarked on a structured path to reduce energy consumption and improve the overall efficiency of its production sites. In 2022 it installed a photovoltaic system at the Meda site, which in 2024 produced over 147 MWh of electricity, to which a second photovoltaic system was added last year, with a power output of 240 kW. As a result, 43% of Cassina's total energy needs, including electricity, gas and fuel for the company fleet, were covered by renewable sources, while the remaining 57% was met by fossil fuels, with no recourse to nuclear energy. With regard to purchased electricity, 91% of total consumption was covered by supplies from renewable sources.

With regard to the waste generated, Cassina already intervenes at the design stage by optimising the consumption of raw materials, for example through nesting techniques, which allow cutting patterns to be arranged in such a way as to minimise fabric and leather waste. With the aim of valorising unavoidable leather waste, Cassina also sells all unused remainders to companies specialising in small leather goods. Through these leather waste valorisation activities, about 42.4 tonnes of leather have been reused.

In 2024, Cassina produced a total of approximately 976 tonnes of waste, 95% of which was diverted from landfill: 59% was recycled, while 41% was prepared for reuse or subjected to other forms of recovery.