FRANCESCAbrings together 15 partners from 8 European countries, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, and Italy, ensuring a holistic approach to the circular transition of the furniture sector.
CETEM, the Spanish technology centre, coordinates FRANCESCA and oversees the management of the three circular demonstrators, ensuring smooth execution and alignment across all activities. The consortium’s research dimension is strengthened by the University of Vaasa, which leads the development of circular business models and ecosystem guidelines, and by Chalmers Industriteknik, responsible for designing and implementing the project’s Ecodesign Assessment Tool. The Swedish cluster is further reinforced byRISE, which leads the sustainability assessments through the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework.
Circular materials innovation is driven by SÍMBIOSY, which coordinates the Circular Materials work package. Supporting this material‑focused effort is IETU, which leads the Environmental Technology Verification processes, ensuring the credibility and performance validation of the innovations piloted in the demonstrators.
The consortium builds strongly on industry involvement: Sonae Arauco in Portugal coordinates Demonstrator #2, applying biobased and recycled materials to real‑scale industrial production. Spanish manufacturer Fama Sofás, high‑end brand Sancal, and Portuguese office furniture producer FAMOplay a central role in testing, prototyping, and validating circular design choices and materials, bringing an essential market perspective. SANCAL also leads Demonstrator #1 on circular design, transforming theoretical principles into innovative modular prototypes. Complementing them is EX DEBRIS, a Spanish SME contributing applied expertise in reuse, upcycling, and design experimentation.
The social innovation dimension of FRANCESCA is represented by Oxfam Belgium, which leads Demonstrator #3 on Furniture as a Service, piloting a service‑based circular furniture model and testing it with real users.
Policy outreach, standardisation, and sectoral dissemination are led by the Italian federation FederlegnoArredo, which ensures that FRANCESCA’s outputs feed into European standardisation bodies and reach the furniture industry at large. The European‑level perspective is further supported by Innovawood, a Brussels‑based federation that connects FRANCESCA with EU networks, training initiatives, and industry stakeholders. Finally, Belgian sustainability consultancy EcoRes leads the policy recommendation process, coordinating the co‑creation of policy briefs that aim to accelerate circular practices across Europe.
Together, these 15 partners form a powerful and integrated ecosystem that covers every stage of the furniture value chain.