The environmental certification Hållbar Interiör has now been launched – the first of its kind

Hållbar Interiör is based on a set of criteria covering everything from organizational policies to inventory management, with a strong emphasis on reuse and circularity. Alongside this, the Hint app was launched to guide users through the process of obtaining certification.

By 2045, Sweden aims to achieve climate neutrality—a key component of the nation’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. To meet this goal, organizations across all industries and value chains must reduce their climate impact. While there are well-established environmental certifications for production and construction, a unified standard and knowledge base for assessing the climate impact of spaces and their interiors have been absent—until now.

Introducing Hållbar Interiör

On September 26, Hållbar Interiör was officially launched. It is the first certification to take a holistic approach to interior projects, focusing on what tenants or those managing a space can directly influence.

“Hållbar Interiör is a certification that has been highly sought after across multiple industries. The lack of a standard until now has allowed organizations to define sustainability on their own terms, often risking greenwashing. Meeting the requirements for an HI certification demonstrates a genuine commitment to reducing climate impact,” explains Kristin Östberg, architect, project manager at Indicum Interior Architects, and one of the initiators of Hållbar Interiör.

Reuse as a Central Focus

Hållbar Interiör has been developed collaboratively by over 30 stakeholders, including professionals in architecture, furniture design, and facilities management. The certification is based on criteria verified by the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and is equivalent to an ISO 14024 Type 1 environmental label. The criteria address energy efficiency, sustainable facility management, emissions reduction, and the promotion of circular practices.

One of the most significant criteria for certification is the use of reused furniture. This is no coincidence: in Sweden, office furniture production generates over SEK 6 billion annually, contributing to more than 150,000 tons of CO₂ emissions. Opting for reused or refurbished furniture can reduce this climate impact by 30%.

Hint: A Guiding Tool

Coinciding with the certification launch is the release of the Hint app. Hint guides users step by step through the sustainability evaluation process of a space. With straightforward information and user-friendly functionality, the app provides a preliminary sustainability forecast for the space in question.

“This new industry standard is launching at exactly the right time. The real win is that businesses now have more tools to support their sustainability efforts and achieve climate goals. The certification itself is the cherry on top. Hållbar Interiör will help set the vision and show the path forward,” says Fanny Fröjd, Head of Project Management Corporates at JLL, one of the initiative’s project partners.

About Hållbar Interiör

Hållbar Interiör is Sweden’s first environmental certification evaluating entire spaces based on defined sustainability criteria. Developed since 2019 as part of a Vinnova-supported research project, it has involved collaboration among over 30 industry stakeholders from architecture, furniture, and facility management sectors.

For more information about Hållbar Interiör, visit https://hallbarinterior.se.

Interested in applying for an HI certification? Contact us at kontakt(at)hallbarinterior.se.