USM & Sustainability
Circularity at heart
– USM and Sustainability
USM & Sustainability
USM evolving with you
– sustainable circular economy
– sustainable circular economy
Rethink, Redesign, Revalue. This starts even before the product is produced with the evaluation of individual needs. During its lifespan, USM can be redefined again and again – this makes USM a valued, consistent companion for life, and generations to come.
What and how much do we really need? What purposes should a piece of furniture serve? Experienced consultants and virtual planning tools enable us to support you to create a bespoke and conscious purchase. So that you get exactly what you really need, tailored to your current requirements. But don‘t worry, once furniture has been designed, it can always be rethought and adapted to new circumstances.
Each piece of USM furniture is unique, planned and assembled especially for you. Our furniture is designed to be forever reconfigured. Thanks to the high-quality finish and clever design, all components can be exchanged and extended at any time without any problems. This leads to limitless creative freedom, more individuality in design and almost infinite life cycles.
Thanks to the high quality, colours that never fade and a 100% modular system, decades-old USM furniture can be seamlessly combined and upgraded with new components. We believe a product that adapts to your style, your life, your changing needs is relevant and loved. USM furniture is a valuable companion for life, across generations.
Our Vision
– becoming a fully circular business
– becoming a fully circular business
We want to extend circularity principles beyond our products. That means adopting circularity principles throughout our company – from our product development to our manufacturing, from our communications to our supply chain, operations and the expertise of our employees.
Our long-standing commitment to Sustainability
PRODUCTS – Durable and circular
The longer a product lives, the less it impacts the environment. We build products that endure: versatility of function, wear-resistant materials, fine craftsmanship, reverse compatibility and timeless style all ensure that USM furniture lasts over generations. Each piece of furniture is a unique item, planned and assembled individually according to customer needs – this ensures there is minimal waste and never a surplus. We design to reconfigure – all component materials can be carefully disassembled, checked, and returned to be reassembled. Though our products can be recycled, this rarely ever needs to happen: there is a large second-hand market that USM actively supports by promoting certified second-hand partners.
Two of our product lines, which account for almost 92.2.% of our revenue, carry the Cradle to Cradle certification which is granted only after rigorous assessment of a company’s approach to energy, biodiversity, material responsibility and social fairness.
We still have a lot to do. Based on the results of our first carbon audit, we will use a science-based process to decide where we can have the most impact, fastest.
Want to know more? Read our most recent Sustainability Report.
MANUFACTURING – Responsible and accountable
Our approach to conscious and responsible manufacturing begins with our decision to remain based in our Swiss home. All USM products are produced in the factory in Münsingen, just outside Bern in Switzerland, where the family business originated. Our manufacturing processes are carefully built around the goals of maximum safety, energy efficiency and almost total recyclability at every stage. Nearly all of our chrome used is trivalent chrome which is much less harmful to the environment than conventional hexavalent chrome. The powder coating is manufactured in state-of-the-art facilities without the use of solvents or heavy metals such as lead.
PEOPLE – A responsible employer
Caring about people and their work culture makes both moral and economic sense for a company. Particularly for a company that prizes quality as we do, we recognise that there is no way that we could manufacture the way we do without a healthy, dedicated, highly skilled workforce all acting in concert.
As a Swiss company, respect for human rights is engrained in our culture. USM work environments are characterised by mutual esteem and tolerance. The value we place on ‘human quality control’ in our processes is reflected in our efforts to support our workforce to the highest standards. We actively encourage professional development and support employee health and wellbeing. The average length of service at USM is 11.5 years. Our people stay because they feel valued.
We are rated ‘gold’ for social fairness by the Cradle to Cradle Institute.
EMISSIONS – Zero as soon as possible
We recognise the immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), an ambitious climate action partnership in line with the Paris Agreement. Our progress contains photovoltaic panels on roof of manufacturing facilities. 73% of electricity used in Münsingen comes from renewable sources. Introducing biomass has eliminated our reliance on heating oil. LED lighting and electric cars in our company car fleet are self-evident.
C2C Certified USM Haller
C2C Certified USM Kitos M
