Part 1 of the article series “Inside the Criteria Council”
The HI Label has quickly become a key tool for creating more sustainable interior environments. But behind every requirement and formulation lies thorough and careful work. The criteria are developed and reviewed by an independent expert group – the Criteria Council – whose composition makes the label both credible and grounded in reality.
“The Criteria Council is like a quality court for the eco-label – a group of experts from across the interior design chain who ensure that HI’s requirements are both relevant and implementable.”
– Sascha Firle, Chair of the Criteria Council and CEO of Hint Sustainability
A cross-sector council with real breadth
The Criteria Council consists of ten members and a chairperson. Together, they represent the entire value chain of the interiors sector: research, architecture, real estate, production, procurement, reuse, and certification. This broad representation is crucial, says Sascha Firle.
“There’s a big difference between creating something for the industry and something with the industry. By involving practitioners from every part of the chain, we can develop requirements that are both ambitious and workable in real life.”
The Council’s role is to develop, review, and revise the criteria for the HI Label. The work is coordinated by Hint Sustainability, which manages the label, and takes place through recurring meetings, consultation rounds, and prioritization work.
The certifier’s perspective: “A tool the market needs”
Johan Söderqvist, CEO of Möbelfakta and member of the Criteria Council, sees his involvement as a natural continuation of his experience with other certification systems.
“HI is unique in that it doesn’t just focus on products, but also on how interior design projects are actually carried out – including processes, use, and reuse. It fills a clear gap in the market.”
He emphasizes the strength of a development process involving stakeholders from multiple sectors:
“It’s important to consider all stakeholders – not just to ensure acceptance, but to drive progress in a constructive and realistic way.”
From principles to practice
Creating sustainability criteria is complex. A scientific foundation is essential – but not enough. The requirements must also be understandable, applicable, and possible to follow up in real-world projects.
“We work with both horizon scanning via RISE and gather feedback from users. This allows us to fine-tune and evolve the criteria with the right balance of ambition and feasibility.”
– Sascha Firle
For Johan Söderqvist, it’s also about building trust – and countering greenwashing:
“There are a lot of feelings involved in sustainability discussions. A robust criteria system makes it easier to distinguish real sustainability from empty promises.”
2025 focus: Climate data that everyone can use
One of the top priorities for the Council right now is ensuring that the HI Label aligns with upcoming EU legislation and industry standards. This means climate impact must start being measured in CO₂ equivalents.
“This has shifted from being an ambition to becoming a baseline requirement. We need to express climate impact in numbers – not just statements.”
– Sascha Firle
But, he emphasizes, measurement must not become an administrative burden. It must be easy to do the right thing.
“Having the right method isn’t enough if it’s too complicated to use. The key is to make climate data accessible and usable – whether you’re a public official, an architect, or a supplier.”
A common standard for sustainable interiors
Both Sascha and Johan view the HI Label as a way to bring structure, clarity, and shared definitions into a sector where “sustainability” has often been vague or inconsistent.
“HI should become the common language in workspace decisions – so that everyone knows what a sustainable interior solution really means.”
– Sascha Firle
“The label could become one of the pieces that enables sustainability to be implemented effectively and credibly across the entire project chain.”
– Johan Söderqvist
Coming next: The role of research in the Council
In the next article in the series, we meet Derek Diener, researcher at RISE and expert in life cycle analysis. He shares why measurability is key to credible sustainability – and why “it feels right” is no longer enough.
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