12 December 2025
Stockholm’s newly certified HI Coaches represent more than just a strengthening of industry competence. They are a growing group of professionals who are changing how interiors are planned, used, and managed—working from within organisations—and using Sweden’s new Type I ecolabel for interiors, the HI certification, verified by RISE.
With in-depth knowledge of Hållbar Interiör’s criteria and methodology, from needs assessments and inventory mapping to reuse, management plans and prioritisation, HI Coaches provide the expertise that helps organisations move from sustainability ambition to real climate impact.
In an industry where the norm has long been to rip out and replace interiors without first analysing needs or potential, HI Coaches are helping shift behaviours, routines and decision-making. And they do it in the day-to-day reality of organisations.
They work with a method that prioritises sufficiency, longevity, and reuse – fully in line with the core principles behind the HI criteria: use what you have, use it for longer, reuse, and make smart, climate-informed new purchases.
Interiors account for a significant part of a building’s total environmental impact. It is estimated that thousands of tonnes of interiors could be reused, with equivalent climate savings. HI Coaches help realise this potential by making use of existing furniture, reducing unnecessary purchases, ensuring that new products meet HI criteria, and supporting organisations in long-term, strategic planning.
Using Hint, the digital tool that gathers climate data and certification criteria, the coaches can also work data-driven at every stage.
“As an interior architect, I always aim to meet both needs and function, and today, understanding the environmental impact of furniture is essential to make the right choices.” says Monica Stone, interior architect SIR/MSA and certified HI Coach since November.
“The most valuable thing for me was understanding just how much climate impact can actually be avoided when we work according to the HI criteria. It becomes so clear that reuse is not a compromise – it’s real climate benefit,” says Monica Stone, interior architect SIR/MSA and certified HI Coach since November.
Monica shares that her motivation for joining the training was the need for deeper knowledge about the environmental impact of furniture and interiors:
“As an interior architect, I always aim to meet both needs and function, and today, understanding the environmental impact of furniture is essential to make the right choices.”
She also sees how HI certification affects how she approaches her projects:
“I think more holistically now and I’m reminded of all the aspects that influence a project. I also realise how important our role is – to inform the client, advocate for better solutions, and design in a more sustainable way.”
The tenant has a central role in the transition. Many of the decisions that affect climate impact from interiors are made early in the process. HI Coaches therefore support tenants in conducting thorough needs assessments to avoid unnecessary demolition, evaluate space efficiency, create inventories and management plans, and specify sustainable procurement and reuse in line with the HI certification.
When the tenant and coach work together, they become key drivers in office development and in the climate transition that the industry is rapidly moving towards.
Stockholm’s new group of certified HI Coaches also means that the region gains a strong and growing network of professionals supporting sustainable change. This enables more projects to run in parallel using the same methodology and verifiable standards, raising quality, increasing capacity, and building a local ecosystem where experience is shared and development is driven collectively.
“When coaches lead change in real projects, in dialogue with tenants and project managers, that’s when it happens – that’s when we truly move the industry forward,” says Filippa Karlsson.
With a stable network of coaches, a clear set of criteria and a digital tool to scale the work, Stockholm is now well-positioned to take a leading role in Sweden’s transition to circular interiors. It’s no longer about education. It’s about implementation.
The demand for HI Coaches continues to grow. New training sessions will be held this spring. Details about dates and structure can be found via the link below.
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