FITT-NESS presents its policy brief with recommendations for a more inclusive, smart, and sustainable furniture industry and interior spaces

The European FITT-NESS project has produced a summary of its policy recommendations to promote a more inclusive, smart, and sustainable furniture sector and interior spaces. The document, presented as a policy brief, summarizes in an accessible format the main proposals gathered throughout the project and is already being shared with stakeholders. In addition, it has been translated into all the consortium’s languages: Spanish, English, Italian, and Portuguese.

The complete report on policy recommendations, corresponding to deliverable D5.4, is still being finalized.

A key question: How can public policies help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the furniture industry innovate? The document explores how public policies can support SMEs in the furniture sector so they can innovate and help create environments that are more sustainable, accessible, and adapted to an aging population. To this end, it links digital transformation, the circular economy, and social inclusion to business competitiveness, highlighting the role of furniture and interiors in personal autonomy, well-being, and the efficient use of resources.

The recommendations are based on European and regional literature reviews, the experience of the partners and their clusters, 62 responses to a questionnaire sent to stakeholders, and co-creation activities involving 86 participants. This process has made it possible to incorporate perspectives from Murcia, Lombardy, Sicily, and northern Portugal, along with contributions from other European stakeholders.

The policy brief also outlines specific priorities for each region. In the case of Murcia, it proposes linking investment, training, and pilot projects across the furniture, care, technology, construction, and energy sectors to support the modernization of small and medium-sized enterprises and develop solutions that facilitate aging in one’s own home.

With this document, FITT-NESS transforms stakeholder input into practical public policy proposals. The dissemination of this concise, multilingual version makes the recommendations accessible to government agencies, companies, clusters, research centers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders who can contribute to their implementation.

At CETEM, we continue to work to ensure that the innovation and knowledge generated by European projects such as FITT-NESS translate into real opportunities for the furniture and home furnishings sector.

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor EISMEA can be held responsible for them.