The dc Story

Design Conformity was established in 2017, since then we’ve been working with retailers, brands, manufacturers and suppliers to introduce clear guidance to improve safety and reduce the carbon impact of fixtures and furniture in commercial store interiors.

To accomplish this, we have assembled an extraordinary team of industry professionals possessing unique insights and extensive experience within the industry.

Our Team

Our team comprises of leading experts in their respective fields, each of whom has contributed to the dc guidelines. As a dc member, you are able to benefit from a personalised consultation service from any of these industry professionals.

Katie has worked within the industry for 10 years, predominantly on the education side with 7 years teaching at NTU. Katie is currently studying in her second year of her PhD which looks to investigate and improve the sustainability of fast furniture.

KATIE FURMSTON

Head of Design & Research

Mark has worked in the retail furniture industry for 40 years and is a master electrician. He’s a co-author of the dc Retail Design Guidance and dc standard and he also sits on the dc technical committee.

MARK NATHAN

Electrical Manager

Adam has 15 years international business management experience gained in Europe, Middle East and Asia. He spent 10 years designing display lighting systems for high street retailers including Boots, Next, M&S and Morrisons.

ADAM HAMILTON-FLETCHER

Client Relations

Owen has a background in strategic development running building a consultancy for the past twenty years and in the past ten years he has focused on CSR and sustainability. He has worked with brands including Brother, Saracens, BMW and Argos.

OWEN HUGHES

Partnerships Director

Our Technical Committee

Lei is a display lighting specialist with over 10 years experience in creating dynamic lighting solutions. Lei is a members of the European Signage Council.

LEI LI

Display Lighting

Leigh is a specialist in eco design and resource efficiency with over 20 years experience who has lectured at Sheffield University and Nottingham Trent University.

LEIGH HOLLOWAY

Ecodesign and Resource Efficiency

Tim has worked with retail brands for over 20 years helping them to create meaningful customer engagement to drive sales and brand loyalty. He’s a retail consultant to several global consultancies and former lecturer at the Instituto Marangoni.

TIM MANNING

Customer Engagement

Jim has strong continuous improvement knowledge and a skill base in both automotive and FMCG manufacturing. He has been responsible for developing and deploying ESG compliance and optimising ways of working throu8gh circular practises for one of Europe largest furniture manufacturers.

JIM MURRAY

Sustainable Ways of Working

Bill is the former Managing Director of the one of the UK’s largest retail fixture manufacturers and co-founder of the industry’s first independent retail design consultancy focused on sustainability. Bill has 30 years’ retail design and manufacturing experience.

BILL JONES

Environmental Design

Rob has worked in the retail design industry for over 20 years and supports the dc Circular Design certification process.

ROB HARTLEY

Retail Furniture Design

Independent

We are the first independent quality and sustainability design standard for the retail fixtures and furniture industry.

By adopting our design standard and using our certification process, designers and manufacturers ensure their adherence to quality standards (UKCA and CE) and commitment to sustainable, circular design practice (ISO and GHG) for their customers.

We do not design or supply, we certify.

Carbon Reduction

We work with over a 100 companies to help them reduce and report the carbon impact of their products.

Implementing our circular design standard allows manufacturers to benefit from a continuous carbon reduction process, through a strategy of Reuse, Reduce and Recycle. This reduces manufacturers’ Scope 1 carbon emissions and their customers’ Scope 3 carbon emissions.

Guidance and Certification

A lack of industry standards makes it challenging for furniture manufacturers and suppliers to report the carbon impact of their products.

Our online Design Guide, recommended suppliers database and dc Circular Design Certificate all help to ensure designers meet the required regional standards and report the carbon impact of their products with a Life Cycle Assessment.

Commitment to NetZero Carbon

Our members are committed to improving their sustainability, moving to achieve Net Zero Carbon targets and supporting their suppliers, partners and customers to do the same. As members of Design Conformity, they are helping pioneer change in the industry and honour their commitment to continuous improvement.

By using the dc Design Guidance, approved suppliers and dc Cirular Design Certification, members are able to create more carbon efficient, cost effective fixtures and installations by measuring:

– Carbon Footprint of Products

– Life Cycle Assessment of products