Your ‘new’ desk has a back story: AU has launched a new webshop for used furniture and equipment

Do you need a desk? Chairs for the conference room? Or maybe shelving? Then don’t start your search by checking the new products available through AU’s purchasing agreements. Start with AU ReUse instead: AU’s new digital reuse hub, where you can order used furniture, furnishings and lab equipment from across the university – just like on DBA or eBay. The difference is that everything on AU ReUse is from AU, and it’s free.

The webshop is a new initiative that was inspired by AU’s climate action plan. The goal of AU ReUse is to give new life to all the well-made older furniture that gets hidden away in basements and storerooms around the university. That’s why the university recommends that all AU units with a need for furniture and equipment check what’s available on AU ReUse as their first purchasing option.

“Buying goods and services – including new furniture and equipment – contributes significantly to AU’s climate footprint. If we can reuse the furniture that the university already has in an internal ecosystem instead of making new purchases, AU ReUse can make a real contribution to reducing that footprint,” University Director Kristian Thorn says.

Upcycling gives well-made older furniture new life

Thorn acknowledges that it can be a challenge to find used furniture that ticks all the boxes for a team or a department. In such cases, he explains, it’s possible to upcycle what we have: chairs can be reupholstered and desks can be refinished, for example. Options and prices are set out in a new addendum to AU’s furniture and equipment purchasing agreement (in Danish, but with lots of photos).

“A lot of the older furniture we have at the university is well-made. So even though there are costs associated with restoring these items, you get a good result that has a history and is a climate-conscious choice. Worn table tops can be sanded and varnished, and large height-adjustable desks can be resized so they fit better into a modern office. Chairs can be reupholstered or repainted. There are already lots of good examples of upcycling around the university,” Thorn says.

See examples of upcycled furniture produced for Aarhus BSS for the new University City location

The first items have been uploaded

Administrative staff at some departments and units have already had a look around their storage rooms and have uploaded some furniture and equipment, so the first ‘products’ are available in the webshop.

While the selection is still quite limited, Thorn expects that the inventory on AU ReUse will increase as word spreads. Even though contributing to the ecosystem might mean letting go of items that might have been quite expensive originally.

“I understand that some might hesitate to part with perfectly good chairs and tables that represented quite an investment at the time of purchase. It’s a new way of thinking about how we use our furniture. But this furniture will be put back into circulation and will get a new life somewhere else, to the benefit of our resource consumption and the climate, and I hope that will be a significant motivation,” Thorn said.

Items ordered from the AU ReUse webshop are only for use at the university, so private buyers aren’t allowed to use the site (and you as an employee can’t order items for your house).