SHIFT26: Conversations Shaping the Furniture Industry

The conversations shaping the furniture industry are becoming increasingly complex. Circularity, compliance, supply chain resilience, technology and social value are no longer standalone topics. They increasingly overlap, creating new challenges across design, manufacturing and project delivery.

Now in its third edition, SHIFT was created as a forum to work together with manufacturers and networks to navigate that complexity, bringing the supply chain together to learn, share knowledge and have more open conversations around the challenges shaping the sector.

Hosted at LIFT in Islington, a vibrant youth hub supporting young people through creative, fitness and educational programmes, SHIFT26 brought together over 60 manufacturers and more than 130 industry attendees. The day focused on workshops, discussions and collaboration around the responsibilities, opportunities and changes shaping the future of the furniture sector.

"SHIFT has evolved into much more than a sustainability conference. It's an opportunity to bring our network of manufacturers together to report, reflect and collaborate on how the industry moves forward." — Martin Stocks, Managing Director, Future Works

Sessions included an interactive workshop with members of the Sustainable Design Collective, exploring sustainability challenges in practice; a deep dive into VOCs and product testing with Eurofins; and a session exploring research into circularity within the furniture industry.

The Future Works Technology team also introduced its Digital Ecosystem, demonstrating how data, technology and shared infrastructure can support more connected project delivery. Alongside this, Social Value Portal explored how organisations can better define, measure and communicate social value, while Tristram Stuart's keynote offered a broader perspective on circular systems thinking through the lens of food waste.

Across these discussions, consistent themes emerged: the growing volume of sustainability data and the challenge of making it usable; the need for clearer ownership and stronger alignment across the supply chain; and the gap between ambition and delivery, particularly when it comes to reuse, circularity and measurable impact.

SHIFT26 also marked the launch of a new Future Works research project, looking ahead to 2036 and beyond, and exploring the innovation priorities that will shape the furniture industry over the coming decade. More details will be shared in the coming months as the project gets underway.

The conversations were open and often candid. Not everything is resolved, but there is a clearer sense of where the challenges sit, and where greater collaboration is needed to move the industry forward.

A huge thank you to everyone who gave up their time to be part of SHIFT26. We look forward to continuing these conversations and working together with the industry to drive innovation.

With thanks to Joseph Dick, Tatiana Ródenas García and Becky Allen (Social Value Portal), John Hynd (Eurofins), Tristram Stuart (Toast Ale), Colin Macgadie (ForEveryday.Life), Joe Croft (Overbury), Matt Freeman (Freeman Studio), Deborah Allen (DouglasJane Studio), Harsha Kotak (SDC WOD), Asif Din (Perkins&Will), Ana Rita Martins (MCM), Lucy Bagshaw (tp bennett), Jennie Greenwalker (MAA Architects), Rosella Faraci (JRA) and Sam Allen (M Moser Associates).