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It might not always get noticed, but street furniture it plays a big role in making cities comfortable and welcoming places to be. When designed and made with care, street furniture can help cities become more sustainable, supporting both people and the environment.
The role of street furniture in urban spaces
Good street furniture gives people places to sit, rest, and meet up. It makes walking or biking around easier and more enjoyable, which helps reduce traffic and pollution. Plus, when it’s designed well, it makes sure everyone can use the space comfortably.
Sustainable design principles in street furniture
Designing for durability
Street furniture takes a beating: weather, heavy use, and sometimes vandalism. Long-lasting materials like stainless steel, recycled plastic, and strong hardwoods reduce the need for replacements, which cuts down waste, manufacturing emissions, and ongoing costs for cities.
Materials with low impact
All of our street furniture pieces now use at least one of the following:
Designing for maintenance
Modular designs, such as our Versa Seating Range or our Seating Concepts, allow cities to replace individual slats, pieces or fixtures instead of entire units. This produces modular designs, keeps products on the street longer and dramatically both cuts material waste and associated costs.
Our eco-conscious production processes
Sustainability is something we put into action every day in our factory at Broxap. Our big push, called Project Transform, focuses on cutting energy use, reducing waste, and making our processes more efficient.
One of the biggest upgrades has been our powder coating line. We use a special nanotech pre-treatment that avoids harsh chemicals, cuts water use by up to half, and saves energy with better heat retention. This lets us coat twice as much product while being kinder to the environment.
We’ve also invested in energy-efficient laser cutting machines and found smart ways to reuse our wood offcuts, turning them into fuel to heat our factory. That’s helped us achieve Zero Waste to Landfill status, which we’re really proud of. On top of that, we carefully select materials like sustainably sourced timber, recycled metals, and fully recyclable plastics.
By keeping design, manufacturing, finishing, and installation all in one place, we reduce transport emissions and maintain tight quality control. All these steps mean our street furniture lasts longer and has a smaller environmental footprint, helping cities build greener, more sustainable public spaces.
Installation with minimal environmental disruption
When installing street furniture, we focus on minimising disruption to the local environment and reducing waste. That means using efficient methods and equipment, avoiding unnecessary damage to green spaces, and planning logistics to cut down on multiple trips.
Once installed, maintenance is about preventing problems before they start. Regular cleaning, timely repairs, and replacing just worn parts instead of entire units save materials, time, and money. We design all our products with maintenance in mind, using modular components and materials that resist corrosion and weather damage.
The impact of sustainable street furniture on city planning
Good street furniture helps make streets safer and more welcoming, which can boost local businesses and improve community wellbeing. When cities invest in durable, eco-friendly furniture, they’re making long-term decisions that save money and resources down the line.
Street furniture can also support green initiatives directly. For example, integrating bike racks encourages cycling; installing waste and recycling bins helps reduce litter; and planters or green roofs add greenery that cools streets and improves air quality.
Building better cities, one bench at a time
At the end of the day, sustainable street furniture is a small but powerful piece of the puzzle. It helps cities build healthier, greener spaces where people want to live, work, and play.
At Broxap, we’re proud to be part of creating products that last, reduce waste, and help cities become greener and more welcoming. So next time you sit on a bench, lean on a bike rack, or toss rubbish in a bin, remember good street furniture supports a better city for all of us.