Passing on a sustainable legacy of craftsmanship, one iconic piece at a time
“Timeless beauty, comfort, craftsmanship, and sustainability are so deeply ingrained in all our furniture that only sight and touch are required to understand and fall in love with them.”
Knud Erik Hansen, CEO and Third Generation Owner
Along with working with the very best designers and the finest materials, Carl Hansen & Søn has a long-standing commitment to driving sustainable development.
During every step of the production process, we are working to create both big picture strategies and simple, everyday solutions that help us care for people and for the planet. From investing in the most modern and energy efficient equipment to the ambitious goals we set for our production practices, we are striving to leave behind nothing but beautiful furniture and a legacy of uncompromising craftsmanship.
At Carl Hansen & Søn we take part in the global efforts towards a more sustainable world. Our long-standing commitment to driving sustainable development therefore continues with ambitious targets for 2025 that support the following UN sustainable development goals:
Commits to 100% of wood is environmentally certified Manufactures 350 FSCTM-certified products
Reduces the company’s CO2 emissions by 25% vs. 2015 Commits to 100% of all furniture textiles are environmentally certified Commits to 100% of leather is traceable and sustainable
Manufactures 25 EU Ecolabel products
Products offer increasingly sustainable capabilities
Products come in 100% sustainable packaging
Offers 15 apprenticeships
Embraces and promotes inclusion
Provides expert repair in Denmark
This is our commitment to the future of the planet, and how we pass on a sustainable legacy of craftsmanship, one iconic piece at a time.
IN SUPPORT OF SDG 15: LIFE ON LAND
Our furniture is manufactured with passion, craftsmanship and respect for materials.
Wood is our great passion. Along with the classic Scandinavian varieties such as oak, beech and ash, we also incorporate fine cherry, walnut, maple, mahogany and teak into our production.
Carl Hansen & Søn has been a proud manufacturer of FSC-certified furniture since 2017. Up to 90% of the wood we use in our products is FSC-certified, and the remainder derives from non-certified sustainable forestry.
We are committed to using only environmentally certified wood by 2025, thereby ensuring that the wood we source comes from responsibly managed forests and sawmills. Today, we have more than 75 design icons available in FSC-certified wood and we are continually working to include more. Newly launched Carl Hansen & Søn designs are always crafted in FSC-certified wood.
By sourcing FSC-certified wood, we ensure that forests are responsibly harvested, while protecting other plants, the animals of the forests and the people working in and living off the land.
It is with great respect for the nature that we craft quality design that lasts for generations, made from sustainably sourced wood.
COSTA RICA BRAZIL INDONESIA
AFRICA BRAZIL
TODAY: up to 90% of the wood is FSC-certified. Teak and mahogany are FSC-certified. OUR COMMITMENT: by 2025 we will use only environmentally certified wood
Every piece of our furniture has a story that begins with the materials it is crafted from. Therefore, the materials we work with must be of the absolute highest quality and must be sourced from like-minded suppliers with whom we have long-standing relationships and who share our values and dedication to quality.
We choose each and every one of our materials carefully, selecting for strength, durability, tactility, beauty, and the feelings they evoke. By using natural materials such as wood, leather and wool, we strive to craft enduring, meaningful objects that provide a genuine sense of comfort and well-being.
MADE OF FSC-CERTIFIED MATERIALS
CANVAS
MADE FROM NATURAL FLAX FIBERS
FLAG
HALYARD
MADE FROM 100% NATURAL FLAX FIBERS
RATTAN & WICKER
MADE FROM THE TROPICAL PALM, CALAMUS ROTANG
FURNITURE WEBBING
MADE FROM 85% RECYCLED COTTON
TEXTILES
STANDARD TEXTILES ARE CERTIFIED WITH EU ECOLABEL AND GREENGUARD GOLD OR OEKO-TEX
LEATHER
STANDARD LEATHER ARE CERTIFIED WITH BLAUER ENGEL
At Carl Hansen & Søn, we are committed to protecting our environment and reducing the environmental impact of our activities. Therefore, we use only the best and most environmentally friendly surface treatments when manufacturing our high-quality furniture.
WATER-BASED
WATER-BASED
100% NATURAL SOAP. ALL WOOD TREATED WITH SOAP IS COMPLETELY BIODEGRADABLE
INDOOR OIL IS MINERAL-BASED AND LOWEMITTING. OUTDOOR OIL FOR WOOD IS PLANT-BASED. WOOD TREATED WITH OIL IS COMPLETELY BIODEGRADABLE
IN SUPPORT OF SDG 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
We run our operations with respect for the environment; and we work actively to reduce our energy consumption and optimize our waste management and the recycling of materials
Our furniture is crafted into iconic design pieces from materials that are precious natural resources. Residue material is inevitable, but we are committed to using every piece and little scrap to its fullest.
Challenging how we use our resources has sparked creative ideas which have allowed us to become more sustainable in our production, while passing on a sustainable legacy of craftmanship – one iconic piece at a time.
REMAINING SCRAPS AND SAWDUST ARE TURNED INTO HEATING FOR LOCAL HOMES
SUSTAINABLY HARVESTED WOOD
RESIDUE WOOD IS MADE INTO ACCESSORIES
WOOD IS CRAFTED INTO ICONIC FURNITURE DESIGNS
WOOD: larger pieces of wood residue are crafted into beautiful wooden pieces, such as cutting boards and other home accessories. Remaining scraps and sawdust are repurposed in a district heating plant that provides heating to our own production facilities and to more than 400 local homes in our hometown of Gelsted, Denmark.
LEATHER: leather residue is made into home accessories like potholders and aprons that are sold in our Carl Hansen & Søn Flagship stores.
PAPER CORD: paper cord leftovers from the weaving of seats are now replacing plastic strips in our packaging.
We take great pride in turning scrap material into a valuable resource and hereby reduce the amount of combustibles while contributing to biomass heating.
At Carl Hansen & Søn, we have been crafting modern design for over a century with the belief that one of the best strategies for sustainable living is to make and buy things that last. This is why we use the best materials and craftsmanship in everything we produce. Our products are crafted to last a lifetime and our hope is that they will be passed down and enjoyed for generations.
Since 2019 Carl Hansen & Søn has provided a skilled repair service at our factory in Denmark, giving new life to our timeless and modern design furniture that is made for generations. By teaching our young apprentices how to repair and refurbish our clients’ pieces of furniture, we pass on a sustainable legacy of proud craftsmanship, thus educating the workforce of the future.
IN SUPPORT OF SDG 4: QUALITY EDUCATION
Every piece of furniture that leaves the factory has passed through the hands of expert craftspeople
For over 100 years, we have specialized in providing the outstanding furniture craftsmanship that brings visionary design concepts to life. And, although much has changed at Carl Hansen & Søn over the years, much is still the same as it was in 1908. Our long-standing goal remains to gather the best, most iconic modern furniture designs under one roof and to share these icons with the world.
We manufacture all our furniture in Denmark except for outdoor furniture, which is produced at our own factory in Vietnam. Our production facilities have been modernized to ensure the highest quality standards and to support our goals for sustainability. Using a unique approach to craftsmanship that balances new technology with traditional techniques of carpentry and joinery, everything that we make is created with passion and dedication. From the start of production to the moment our furniture takes its place in a new interior space, we are guided by a commitment to quality that upholds the legacies of our founder and our designers.
High quality furniture craftsmanship has always been dependent on the passion and dedication of skilled craftspeople.
Since 1908, countless apprentices have started their careers in the Carl Hansen & Søn workshop, learning from experienced master carpenters and joiners. Today, the role of apprentices continues to be an essential part of preserving traditional craftsmanship.
In 2019, we introduced The Lab, a new mentor-guided program intended to supplement the time apprentices spend learning on the production floor. Our goal is to have approximately 15 apprentices and trainees per year.
The Lab provides opportunities to learn at a slower, less production-focused pace, so that apprentices can ask questions, study specific skills and tools, and work together with their mentors and peers to develop collaborative and problem-solving skills.
With our apprentice program, we believe that we are not only preserving design icons –we are also investing in the future of quality craftsmanship.
“The process of working with these icons of Danish Design – objects crafted by a previous generation of carpenters and joiners – is essential for the education and experience of every apprentice that comes to work with us: In this way, an important creative connection is being formed between the past, the present and the future.”
Knud Erik Hansen, CEO and owner
At Carl Hansen & Søn we want to embrace inclusion and are working with external partners who develop the skills and competences of employees with physical or mental disabilities; or employees living at the margins of the Danish society to give them a fulfilling employment and improve their quality of life.
This is why we have entered shared value partnerships with social enterprises that employ people with a reduced work capacity and sheltered workshops that manufacture smaller items for packaging and accessories from leather leftovers from our production. The collection is sold in Carl Hansen & Søn flagship stores around the world.
Standard textiles: Gabriel: Mood, capture.
Criterias: If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, every component of this article has been tested for harmful substances and is harmless for human health.
Standard textiles: Gabriel: Mood, capture. Kvadrat: Canvas 2 Clara 2, Forest Nap, Remix 2, Molly 2, re-wool, fiord, Hallingdal 65, Divina Melange 3
Criterias: The EU Ecolabel is a label of environmental excellence that is awarded to products meeting high environmental standards throughout their life-cycle: from raw material extraction, to production, distribution and disposal.
Standard textiles: Kvadrat: Canvas 2 Clara 2, Forest Nap, Remix 2. Molly 2, re-wool, fiord, Hallingdal 65, Divina Melange.
Criterias: Greenguard Gold test for over 10,000 chemicals and Volatile Organic Compounds.
Standard leather: Freja, Loke, Sif, Thor.
Criterias: Blauer Engel is an environmental and consumer protection certification for products. It also includes requirements for labor and health protection as well as for user-friendliness. This includes consideration of raw material consumption and overall considerations over the entire product life cycle.
NEW CARL HANSEN & SØN A/S CHAIRS ARE TESTED ACCORDING TO THE EUROPEAN STANDARD FOR STRENGTH AND DURABILITY:
EN16139 Furniture - Strength, durability and safety - Requirements for non-domestic seating (earlier: EN15373)
NEW CARL HANSEN & SØN A/S TABLES ARE TESTED ACCORDING TO THE EUROPEAN STANDARD FOR STRENGTH AND DURABILITY
EN15372 Furniture - Strength, durability and safety - Requirements for non-domestic tables
All wood-based panels comply with the American regulations CARB ATCM Phase II or TSCA Title VI
Our HR foam complies with the American California TB (Technical Bulletin) 117-2013 on flammability
Our CMHR foam complies with the British Standard BS5852 (ignition source 0, 1, and 5) on flammability
Most of our leather and textiles can be provided with a crib 5 treatment
Our lacquer, indoor oil and soap comply with the European standard EN 71-3:2019 Safety of toys – Part 3: Migration of certain elements
