Loading Fama... Loading Fama...
Environment

We are a company committed to sustainability and environmental protection. These words are not hollow; we take them very seriously. We are proud to recycle practically 100% of our industrial waste.

Fama Sofas Environmental policy

Fama is a company that has a commitment with sustainability and the environment.

01
At Fama Sofas we undertake to protect nature by adapting all our manufacturing processes to minimize our environmental footprint as much as possible, including pollution prevention.
02
Our management is organized in such a way as to continually improve our company’s environmental performance, complying with legal requirements and those demanded by all our company stakeholders.
03
We focus on achieving new milestones and goals in order to make improvements, no matter how small, to how we protect the environment.
04
We try to extend this goal of protecting nature to all the companies, institutions, and people in contact with our organization.

All these commitments and obligations are covered under our Honesty principle, which governs our company.

This commitment encompasses all our industrial activity, including our work center and all our products.

We do not want this statement to be a document full of empty promises. We undertake to analyze all the processes of our economic activity and to work continually to contribute in the best way possible to sustainability and environmental protection.

If you want to know more about our Environmental Policy, the most important aspects of our environmental footprint are described here:

DESIGN

We are extremely meticulous with our design process (from the product to packaging and transport), in order to:

- Design products using the lowest possible amount of raw materials to fulfill the necessary requirements.

- Make optimal use of all raw materials used in order to generate as little waste as possible (controlling measurements of raw materials).

- Design and optimize the utilization of waste for new products rather than recycling it (using leftover foam, chipboard, leftover foam for packaging, etc.).

- Design the production process to optimize the use of necessary resources and energy.

- Design products to have maximum durability, so they do not become disposable (furniture that lasts two years is not the same as furniture that lasts twenty).

- Design packaging to use the least amount of plastic and cardboard, in order to generate the fewest possible number of packages.

- Design with transport in mind, creating elements that can be dismantled to take up less volume, and taking into account the dimensions of trucks and pallets to optimize truck volume as much as possible.

READ MORE
WOOD / CHIPBOARD

WOOD

Description of the raw material: This is one of the fundamental components of furniture frames; they are pieces of wood obtained from felled trees.

What we do: All the wood we use is taken from forests that are responsibly managed to ensure sustainable repopulation (PEFC Certification expected in late 2022).

Recycling: We recycle 100% of our wood waste. We also recycle the shavings and sawdust generated during the process. It is used to manufacture chipboard and heating pellets.

CHIPBOARD

Description: Chipboard is a material made from different sizes of wood chips bound with some type of resin, glue, or other material, and then pressed at a controlled pressure and temperature to form a board.

What we do: All the boards we use comply with the strict CARB2 standard on zero formaldehyde emissions (this standard is only required in the United States, but all our products comply with it).

Recycling: We recycle 100% of the chipboard waste generated during the process. It is used to manufacture chipboard and heating pellets.

READ MORE
FOAM / GLUES
FOAM

Description: Foam or flexible polyurethane foam is a plastic material produced from the reaction of polyols and isocynates. It is mainly used for seat cushions, and in some cases for back and arm cushions and to pad frames.

What we do: The foams we use comply with all international standards. All the foams used by Fama Sofas are TDI-free.

Recycling: : We recycle 100% of the foam waste generated during the process. It is used to manufacture agglomerated foam compounds and fill pillows and cushions. We are also starting to use foam waste as reinforcements for packaging feet, accessories, etc., instead of extra packaging products that are more harmful to the environment

GLUES

Description: They are the adhesive materials used to bond or stick various sofa components.

What we do: Ninety-nine percent of the glues used by Fama are water-based and solvent-free, and just 1% of the glues we use contain solvent. We are still working so that very soon 100% of the glues we use will be water-based. Solvent-based glues are free from toluene, a banned material considered to be harmful to health.

Recycling: There is no glue waste. We use large reusable tanks (1000 liters) so as not to generate polluting containers.

READ MORE
SOLVENTS / FIBER
SOLVENTS

Description: They are chemical liquids used to provide glues with the necessary characteristics to be effective. They are also used to clean the tools that apply glues to sofa components.

What we do: Just 2% of the glue we use contains solvents that evaporate. Plus, we use a very small amount of solvent to clean glue applicator guns. We generate a minimal amount of waste each year. All the solvents we use are free from toluene, a banned material considered to be harmful to health.

Recycling: If there is waste (which is minimal), it is given to management companies that are authorized to handle it.

FIBER

Description: Fiber or batting is a carded textile made from polyester used to pad and cover cushions, and to fill back cushions and pillows.

What we do: All the fibers we use are made from 100% polyester and do not contain any elements that are prohibited at the international level.

Recycling: We recycle 100% of waste (it is sold for making stuffed animals).

READ MORE
UPHOLSTERY / LEATHER
UPHOLSTERY

Description: This is a woven textile used to cover sofas. It may be made from natural materials (cotton or linen), different types of polyester or acrylics, or with recycled fabrics.

What we do: The textiles and dyes we use comply with all European standards. We use three types of textiles to make sofa coverings.

Recycling: We make full use of textiles in an attempt to generate minimal waste. Fabric waste is collected and separated from paper and plastic to be recycled to create new textiles. Imitation leather fabrics cannot be recycled to make new textiles, so they are shredded and converted into a high-caloric fuel with a minimal level of atmospheric pollution level. It is then used to replace coal and diesel, which are much more polluting.

LEATHER

Description: This is the skin of animals (mainly cows), which is used to make shoes, handbags, outerwear garments and, in our case, sofas.

What we do: We use chromium-tanned animal skins that are retanned with synthetic resins. They are dyed in drums using aniline dye, refined in water, and free from Pentachlorophenol.

Recycling: We make full use of leather to generate the least amount of waste possible. The waste is used to make samplers and is sold to be recycled.

READ MORE
PACKAGING / ENERGY
PACKAGING

Description: This is what is used to protect the products during transport. The materials we use are cardboard, plastic, foamed plastic, and our leftover foam rubber.

What we do: We use different types of packaging depending on the product. We study how to use the least packaging possible for each model and element. All products comply with European standards. We attempt to use the highest possible percentage of recycled plastic in our packaging.

Recycling: Of all the materials we use in our packaging, the only waste generated is plastic.


ENERGY

Description: Some of the energy we use is generated using solar panels.

What we do: We continuously improve lighting and processes so as to consume less electricity (automation). Solar panels have been installed at our facilities to allow us to use clean energy.

READ MORE
HEATING / PAPER
HEATING

Description: We use pellet stoves to heat our facilities.

What we do: We have replaced our diesel heaters in order to have a smaller environmental footprint.

Recycling: The fuel we use is created by recycling our wood and chipboard waste. Soon we will start using wood chips from our own leftover wood, meaning we will no longer have to create pellets and will be able to use all our wood waste.

PAPER

Description: In our offices we are constantly printing less and only using paper when strictly necessary.

What we do: We have informed all our customers and suppliers that we no longer use paper invoices and that all the documents we receive and send are in digital format (100% of our supplier and customer invoices are managed digitally).
We have started using all recycled paper in our offices, both A4 and A3, as well as for much of the paper used for advertising, instructions and brochures.

Recycling: All A4 and A3 sheets are printed on both sides before going into the recycling bin.

READ MORE
WATER AND LIQUIDS
WATER AND LIQUIDS

Description: Liquid elements necessary for production.

What we do: The only liquid waste we generate is for bathrooms and personal use (sinks, toilets and cleaning); it goes into the local sewage network. We do not dump any liquids into the ground. We have created an independent circuit for collecting and using rainwater for bathrooms. In this way, we are able to reduce our already minimal water consumption.

Recycling: With the new rainwater collection system we recover rainwater and reduce our consumption.

TRASH

Description: One hundred percent of our waste from manufacturing materials are recycled separately. We do not generate industrial waste, and all our waste is recycled or regenerated. We only generate a small amount of organic waste from staff breakfasts. Packaging and paper waste is separated and recycled separately. This include coffee grounds, which are recycled separately to be used as fertilizer in our gardens.

What we do: We are committed to trying to implement new improvement projects aimed at keeping the amount of industrial waste generated to zero.

Recycling: We recycle 100% of our industrial waste.

READ MORE
TRANSPORT
TRANSPORT

Description: We export 70% of our production, so optimizing transport as much as possible is very important.

What we do: Whenever possible, we design our sofas so they can be dismantled or internal cavities can be used. Many of our models take up half the usual volume. We also take truck dimensions into account when creating new models in order to optimize the volume of trucks and containers. We try to purchase raw materials and components from local suppliers. Large-volume raw materials (like foam) are compacted by extracting air, reducing them to one-fifth their original volume.

These are the most important materials and services used in our industrial activity. There are other minor materials and services that we also analyze and try to optimize year after year.

Furthermore, there is an Environmental standard that affects us (there are many regional, national, community-level and global regulations and standards). If you want to know more about these aspects, please ask us about it.

In addition to undertaking to comply with all these legal requirements, it is also very important for us to try to comply with other requirements that, while not obligatory, are demanded by many of the people related to our business.

READ MORE
PFC Free
PFC Free
We are concerned about protecting the environment, but also people’s health. Thus, our sofas are PFC-free and our chipboard does not emit formaldehyde into the atmosphere, and not into our customers’ homes either.
We have recently obtained the ISO 14001 certification for environmental management.
We design products using the lowest possible amount of raw materials.
We make optimal use of raw materials, generating as little waste as possible.
We design and optimize the utilization of waste for new products, rather than recycling it.
We design the production process to optimize the use of the necessary resources and energy.
We manufacture products with maximum durability, so the do not become disposable.
We use packaging with the least possible amount of plastic and cardboard.
We design with transport in mind, optimizing truck volume as much as possible.
Most of our suppliers are local, which amounts to major savings on transport.
All the wood we use is taken from forests that are responsibly managed to ensure sustainable repopulation (PEFC Certification expected in November 2022).
Ninety-eight percent of the glues used by Fama are water-based and solvent-free.

We innovate each day to improve these aspects. We contribute in any way we can to try to leave our children a better planet.

ISO 14001 Certification
As a result of the above, we have obtained the Aenor ISO 14001 Certificate.

We innovate every day to try to improve our environmental commitment. We contribute in any way we can to try to leave our children a better planet, protecting and respecting nature.

All of the above has allowed us to obtain the ISO 14001, an Environmental Management System certificate issued by AENOR that validates our efforts to protect the environment.

Getting this certificate was no simple task. We adapted our production processes to a sustainable model and optimized the management of all the waste we generate. Each year, Fama submits to a quality audit by AENOR to revalidate this certification, requiring a high level of commitment. For us, the work of passing the audit each year is rewarded by knowing that our daily activity has the lowest possible environmental footprint.

But it does not end here. We have continued working to give our waste a second useful life so that it does not end up in a landfill, leading us to get the Zero Waste certification from AENOR, one step further in the compliance of our Environmental Policy.

Zero Waste Certification
WE GIVE A SECOND USEFUL LIFE TO MORE THAN 90% OF OUR INDUSTRIAL WASTE

This certification issued by AENOR guarantees that companies recover 90% of their industrial waste. This means that instead of ending up in a landfill, the waste gets a second useful life either by being used, by creating new raw materials, or by being shredded to obtain solid fuel.

Getting the Zero Waste certification has been hugely important for Fama, as we have now given 99.985% of the waste generated in the last eight months a second useful life, preventing it from ending up in a landfill.

Since we got the ISO 14001 certification four years ago, we have undertaken continued efforts to reduce our industrial waste. Protecting the environment has been part of our DNA for decades, although it has only been in the last ten years that we have made greater efforts toward our mission of being a company that contributes to sustainability. We have changed part of our production processes (sometimes with great difficulty) in order to achieve those waste reutilization data, which today confirm us to be a environmentally committed company.

Interestingly, the inspiration to get this certificate came from an episode of “The Simpsons”, as our CEO Félix López explains in this blog post.

One of the most important changes has been managing the waste generated by fabric cutting machines. We used to throw away large quantities of industrial trash following this process, but now, thanks to reutilization, we can ensure it does not end up in a landfill. Thanks to this project, Fama was selected to be among the “101 Business Examples of actions #ForTheClimate”.

All these efforts have also been rewarded with the recognition of organizations like BBVA, which selected Fama in the first edition of its “Revoluciona Prizes” for our work in the areas of sustainability, innovation and work-life balance.

All these awards and recognitions drive us to continue on our journey of reducing our environmental footprint through a series of actions that, taken together, can produce great results. If you want to learn about our improvement projects, we invite you to read the list of small and large actions related to sustainability.

Carbon Footprint Certification

Another of the certifications obtained by Fama has been the Carbon Footprint, also issued by AENOR.

To obtain this certification, it has been necessary to account for the total number of tons of greenhouse gases produced by our activity and a specific work plan to reduce them.

In an exercise of transparency with our customers and suppliers, after calculating the total number of gases, we have committed to developing various actions aimed at reducing that figure in the coming years. Among the most immediate actions are increasing our photovoltaic plant to reach self-supply of 20% of the electricity we consume, or reducing the average age of our vehicle fleet, in addition to the acquisition of an electric vehicle.

With the Carbon Footprint certificate, we commit to auditing the tons of CO2 we emit to the atmosphere each year and analyzing the positive impact on its reduction of our actions.

LIST OF SMALL AND LARGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS RELATED TO SUSTAINABILITY
ESTADO
01
WASTE REDUCTION
WASTE REDUCTION

Description: Replace cardboard rolls with plastic rolls that can be reused

IN THE PROCESS OF BEING IMPLEMENTED
02
ENERGY
ENERGY

Description: Replace electric heaters with piped-in foot-level heating.

IMPLEMENTED
03
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS

Description: Reporting system for foam blocks on trips to the UK.

IMPLEMENTED
04
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS

Description: Encourage the use of bicycles for commuting (installing protected bike parking with locker rooms and showers).

IMPLEMENTED
05
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS

Description: Use of TDI-free polyurethane

Consequences: It is not harmful to the atmosphere or people


IMPLEMENTED
06
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS
ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS

Description: Use of chipboard with zero formaldehyde emissions

Consequences: It does not emit formaldehydes into the atmosphere, or into houses where it could harm people.

IMPLEMENTED
07
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS

Description: Use of microperforated plastic with 50% recycled plastic

IMPLEMENTED
08
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS

Description: Introduction of the 100% recycled upholstery collection

Models: Nature Collection

IMPLEMENTED
09
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS
RECYCLED RAW MATERIALS

Description: Purchase all recycled plastic bags

IMPLEMENTED
10
LOCAL SUPPLIERS
LOCAL SUPPLIERS

Description: Change supplier of bed mechanisms from Italy to Yecla

Models: Bolero

Consequences: Elimination of packaging and reducing CO2 emissions in transport

IMPLEMENTED
SEE MORE OF THE LIST
Our journey
HITO: 01
Installation of LED lighting

All the lighting in our factory has been progressively changed to LED lamps, until fully replaced. This was a costly project due to the large number of lights in our sections, but it will considerably reduce our energy consumption.

HITO: 02
Automation for all lighting

After changing our lighting to an LED system, we tackled another important project with the installation of automation for all the lighting in our factory. We can turn lights on and off using a simple application, either by zone or all together, in order to optimize areas that are not always occupied by workers and ensure that no light is ever left on.

HITO: 03
Use of water-based glues

After months of testing with water-based glue instead of solvent-based glue, we started using it definitively in all our processes. We replaced the glue booths with new systems that only use water-based glues that are solvent-free. Water-based glues are much more expensive than other glues, but we considered this to be a priority and were finally able to switch after solving the initial performance issues with the water-based glue.

HITO: 04
Pellet boilers

Our former heating system in the factory was diesel-powered. We installed new boilers that run on pellets. It so happens that our pellets supplier is the same waste manager that takes the leftover wood remains from our production, so the raw materials that are no longer valid for our production chain are now converted into fuel for our heating system.

HITO: 05
Sending invoices electronically

Although we were already using this system for some of our transactions, we finally decided to made the change and informed all our customers and suppliers that all our invoices would now be sent electronically. Some time later we decided to send all communications and documentation digitally as well. A few months later this system was fully implemented; since then we have not received or sent a single printed invoice, saving a great deal of paper.

HITO: 06
Chipboard with zero formaldehyde emissions

In light of a new standard in the United States that prohibits the use of formaldehyde-free chipboard, we have changed how we manufacture all our boards destined for all countries. It was expensive to find suppliers that complied with these requirements, but finally we were able to eliminate all products that could have formaldehyde emissions. We no longer use this substance that is often present in the material used to bind the wood shavings to form the chipboard.

HITO: 07
ISO 14001 Certification

Fama’s commitment to reducing our environmental footprint is something we have been working on for decades, but that hadn’t yet been reflected in a certification. We had to update processes and some of our standards, but thanks to the involvement of the entire staff we were able to get this certificate without many problems, guaranteeing our commitment to the environment, despite it already being part of our company's DNA.

HITO: 08
Separation of textile waste

We started this ambitious project to separate all the waste from our fabric cutting machines.  In the first phase, new drawers were installed in the cutting machines to separate plastic. The plastic waste is separated to one side and the fabric and paper to another. After testing with different textiles, we were able to find a type of textile material to replace the paper, meaning we would only be creating two types of waste from the fabric cutting machines. One the one hand there was NWF (non-woven fabric) along with the leftover fabric, and on the other hand there was plastic.  After figuring out how to separate these wastes, we decided to get the Zero Waste certification from AENOR to confirm that we recover more than 90% of our industrial waste.

HITO: 01
Installation of LED lighting

All the lighting in our factory has been progressively changed to LED lamps, until fully replaced. This was a costly project due to the large number of lights in our sections, but it will considerably reduce our energy consumption.

HITO: 02
Automation for all lighting

After changing our lighting to an LED system, we tackled another important project with the installation of automation for all the lighting in our factory. We can turn lights on and off using a simple application, either by zone or all together, in order to optimize areas that are not always occupied by workers and ensure that no light is ever left on.

HITO: 03
Use of water-based glues

After months of testing with water-based glue instead of solvent-based glue, we started using it definitively in all our processes. We replaced the glue booths with new systems that only use water-based glues that are solvent-free. Water-based glues are much more expensive than other glues, but we considered this to be a priority and were finally able to switch after solving the initial performance issues with the water-based glue.

HITO: 04
Pellet boilers

Our former heating system in the factory was diesel-powered. We installed new boilers that run on pellets. It so happens that our pellets supplier is the same waste manager that takes the leftover wood remains from our production, so the raw materials that are no longer valid for our production chain are now converted into fuel for our heating system.

HITO: 05
Sending invoices electronically

Although we were already using this system for some of our transactions, we finally decided to made the change and informed all our customers and suppliers that all our invoices would now be sent electronically. Some time later we decided to send all communications and documentation digitally as well. A few months later this system was fully implemented; since then we have not received or sent a single printed invoice, saving a great deal of paper.

HITO: 06
Chipboard with zero formaldehyde emissions

In light of a new standard in the United States that prohibits the use of formaldehyde-free chipboard, we have changed how we manufacture all our boards destined for all countries. It was expensive to find suppliers that complied with these requirements, but finally we were able to eliminate all products that could have formaldehyde emissions. We no longer use this substance that is often present in the material used to bind the wood shavings to form the chipboard.

HITO: 07
ISO 14001 Certification

Fama’s commitment to reducing our environmental footprint is something we have been working on for decades, but that hadn’t yet been reflected in a certification. We had to update processes and some of our standards, but thanks to the involvement of the entire staff we were able to get this certificate without many problems, guaranteeing our commitment to the environment, despite it already being part of our company's DNA.

HITO: 08
Separation of textile waste

We started this ambitious project to separate all the waste from our fabric cutting machines.  In the first phase, new drawers were installed in the cutting machines to separate plastic. The plastic waste is separated to one side and the fabric and paper to another. After testing with different textiles, we were able to find a type of textile material to replace the paper, meaning we would only be creating two types of waste from the fabric cutting machines. One the one hand there was NWF (non-woven fabric) along with the leftover fabric, and on the other hand there was plastic.  After figuring out how to separate these wastes, we decided to get the Zero Waste certification from AENOR to confirm that we recover more than 90% of our industrial waste.