This week FIS hosted Interiors Insight: LIVE at the Workspace Design Show in London, two days of packed sessions, lively debate and forward-thinking discussion focused firmly on the future of the finishes and interiors sector.

With standing-room-only audiences across multiple sessions, the event demonstrated both the appetite and urgency for deeper conversations around sustainability, circularity, risk, data and design. What made the programme particularly powerful was not just the calibre of speakers, but the active engagement from the audience, challenging assumptions, sharing experiences and contributing to an open, solutions-focused dialogue.

Most importantly, it was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the work FIS is leading in the sustainability space and to take those conversations beyond our immediate membership to new and influential audiences.

Day One: From Strategy to Specification

The first day opened with a strong message: sustainability is no longer a bolt-on. It is central to competitive advantage.

Making Sustainability Your Superpower

The discussion set the tone for the event, exploring how a values-led approach can embed sustainability into every stage of fit-out. The panel tackled commercial realities head-on, demonstrating how aligning sustainability with business drivers creates opportunity rather than constraint.

The clear takeaway? Sustainability done well strengthens brand, resilience and performance.

Opening the Door to a Circular Future

Sometimes circularity begins with something familiar.

This session used doors as a lens to explore how better design and early decision-making can unlock reuse and reduce waste. The conversation challenged conventional specification approaches and highlighted how lifecycle thinking must begin at concept stage, not at strip-out.

Pods – Furniture or Construction?

 One of the most animated debates of the day examined a growing grey area in modern workplaces: pods.

As their use increases, so too do questions around classification, compliance, fire performance and interaction with active protection systems. The session reinforced the importance of early technical scrutiny and clear responsibility. Not everything that looks simple is low risk.

Measuring the Impact of Fit-Out

If you can’t measure it, you can’t reduce it.

This session moved the conversation from ambition to evidence, examining embodied carbon hotspots and how better data is reshaping design and procurement decisions. The message was clear: data is no longer a reporting exercise, it is a design tool.

Putting Reuse First

Is reuse too complicated? Too expensive? Too time consuming?

This energising discussion dismantled common myths, sharing practical examples of how reuse is moving from aspiration to implementation. When embedded early and supported by process, reuse becomes a commercial and strategic advantage, not a compromise.

Day Two: Turning Insight into Implementation

Day two shifted focus toward scaling solutions and connecting sustainability with innovation, wellbeing and technology.

Taking the Plunge – Lessons from FIS Project Reuse

FIS Project Reuse is not theory, it is live research.

This session shared early learning from the project, highlighting the importance of coordination, stakeholder engagement and standardised processes to make urban mining viable at scale. Reuse works, but consistency and collaboration are critical.

Nature x Design

Workplace design is evolving beyond aesthetics.

Exploring biophilic principles, the panel demonstrated how nature-inspired environments enhance cognitive performance, wellbeing and productivity. Better spaces do more than look good, they help people think, focus and perform better.

Tech That Transforms

Digital tools are no longer optional.

This session examined how technology is improving collaboration, reducing waste and unlocking measurable sustainability gains. Better data leads to better decisions, and better project outcomes.

Navigating the Future: The Triple Bottom Line

The closing session brought structure to the sustainability conversation.

Using Ska Rating principles and the triple bottom line framework, the discussion emphasised the need to balance environmental, social and commercial value. Sustainable interiors require evidence, governance and a shared direction, not just good intentions.

A Sector Ready to Lead

Across both days, one theme was consistent: the finishes and interiors sector is not standing still.

From carbon measurement and circularity to compliance, wellbeing and digital innovation, the conversations were honest, technically robust and grounded in real project experience. The engagement from the audience reinforced the appetite for practical solutions and shared learning.

Interiors Insight: LIVE demonstrated the important role we all play in convening the sector, raising standards and driving sustainable transformation.

The discussions don’t stop here.

We look forward to continuing the conversation, and turning insight into action.

FIS is proud to be supporting Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2026, taking place from 02–06 March, a national celebration recognising the value apprenticeships bring to individuals, businesses, and the wider economy.

Apprenticeships continue to play a critical role across the finishes and interiors sector, helping to develop specialist skills, build workforce resilience, and create meaningful career pathways. They remain one of the most effective ways for employers to nurture talent while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our industry.

Scottish Apprenticeship Week provides an opportunity to showcase the real-world impact apprenticeships are having within our sector, highlighting both employer investment and individual achievement.

Share Your Story

As part of this year’s campaign, FIS is inviting members to help celebrate apprenticeships in action.

We would welcome contributions from members who:

• Currently employ an apprentice, or

• Have employees who have recently completed their apprenticeship

Members can get involved by collaborating with FIS through one of the following:

Case Study
A short written case study (maximum 500 words) featuring your apprentice or recently qualified employee, sharing their experience, development, and career journey.

Video Contribution
A brief video clip of your apprentice or employee discussing their apprenticeship experience and the impact it has had on their role, skills, and progression.

These stories help demonstrate the tangible benefits of apprenticeships, not only for learners but also for employers and the wider finishes and interiors community.

Why Participate?

By sharing your experience, you will help:

• Promote careers in finishes and interiors

• Inspire future apprentices

• Highlight the positive impact of employer investment in skills

• Strengthen industry understanding of apprenticeship pathways

Most importantly, you will be contributing to a collective industry narrative that showcases the professionalism, opportunity, and progression available within our sector.

FIS looks forward to celebrating the achievements of apprentices and employers throughout the week.

The Skills Centre have started to run 4-week Dry Lining courses at Build East, commencing Monday 2nd March.

The programme is designed to provide participants with practical, hands-on training and develop the essential skills required to give them a grounding and start them on the path to becoming a dryliner or alternative trade in the interior fit-out sector.

How you can get involved

We need employers to support an interview and placement programme for these candidates (you will be fully supported throughout in structuring this).

We’re looking for employers who can offer:

• Interviews
• Two‑week work trials
• Job opportunities

In return you will have access to potential recruits, keen to start their career in the sector and with some basic training before they hit the wider market.  Supporting this programme will also help contribute to requirements you have may have to support local employment and social value procurement requirements.

When

Ideal dates for interviews would be during the weeks commencing 16th or 23rd March, although we can work with The Skills Centre to accommodate alternative dates that are more convenient.

 This initiative provides a unique chance for employers to engage directly with emerging talent, support skills development in the sector, connect with the next generation of skilled drylining professionals, and identify candidates ready to join their workforce.

Where

Build East Skills Centre, Bassett Lane, Stratford, London, E9 5EN

Why

If not you, who.  We need to build the workforce our sector needs — together.

Please do get involved and come down and see what we are doing, learn more about the process and hopefully meet your next generation workers.  We hope to be rolling similar out across the UK.  We can also talk to you about funding available to support you in taking the individuals on to achieve a level 2 trade qualification.

FIS is highlighting an important regulatory development that may affect parts of the finishes and interiors supply chain.

Information provided via the Construction Products Association (CPA) confirms that from 6 August 2026, new restrictions on formaldehyde emissions will come into force across the European Union.

What is changing?

The updated EU Annex XVII amendment introduces tighter limits on formaldehyde emissions from products used within indoor environments.

Under the new rules:

• Furniture and wood-based articles must meet a limit of 0.062 mg/m³ (0.05 ppm)
• All other articles, including non-wood-based building materials, must meet a limit of 0.08 mg/m³

These measures are intended to reduce risks to human health associated with formaldehyde exposure in indoor air and vehicle interiors.

Does this apply in the UK?

Whilst the UK is not directly bound by this EU regulation:

• Northern Ireland will follow the EU requirements
• Manufacturers supplying both UK and EU markets may need to comply
• Specifiers and contractors may see changes in product declarations, testing data, or documentation

As such, the implications may extend beyond EU-only projects.

Exclusions

The restriction does not apply to:

• Products intended exclusively for outdoor use
• Articles installed outside the building shell and vapour barrier, where emissions do not impact indoor air quality

Why this matters for FIS members

For manufacturers, distributors, and contractors, this change may influence:

• Product compliance and certification
• Specification decisions
• Supply chain documentation
• Cross-border trade considerations

Early awareness will help businesses avoid disruption as implementation approaches.

FIS encourages members to review this update, particularly those involved in product specification, procurement, or manufacture of interior systems and components.

The FIS Sustainability Leadership Group met at the offices of Canary Wharf Group this week. This group was established to help reduce the impact of the sector and members on their own net zero journey.

The meeting opened with a keynote from Canary Wharf Group’s, a real message of hope that their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) was having real world impact with large sustainability projects, such as the Eden Dock project, which led to the best leasing year in over a decade. A critical success factor identified was involves working with the team on project delivery, making decisions early and filtering information down to projects effectively.

FIS Sustainability Champion, Flavie Lowres, then shared data from the live project collecting carbon data related to the Cat A to Cat B transition. This project was originally proposed by Workplace Futures Group who began collecting the data internally and suggested a wider collaborative effort would be more beneficial and support earlier conclusions. At the outset standard definitions of Cat A and Cat B were agreed. FIS collects project data, aggregating and anonymising the results to help identify overall impact, carbon hotspots and starting to highlight opportunities to improve the process.  Initial data was shared, it was recognised that there is still a huge spread in the data and more projects were needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

 The next discussion focussed on the need for a more efficient and consistent process for gathering manufacturers data. This agenda item put forward by Overbury and Canary Wharf have been working on a standardised format that could be used to support consistency of data collection across the sector. This would be particularly useful on projects seeking to get BREEAM, LEAD or SkaRating. The approach is akin to the Product Data Template approach embedded in BIM and would support standardised information exchange and help manufacturers to assemble information like EPDs and Life Cycle Assessments in a more accessible way.  A summary and sample will be circulated to the wider group for comment to see if FIS should support the next phase of this work.

Hattie Emerson updated the group on FIS Project Re-use, a research project that is using a storage facility in Kent to facilitate the re-use of ceiling tiles and luminaires. Hattie presented our first completed case study of products re-used through the project. An interesting early observation is the number of stakeholders who need to be involved in the process across both projects in order to support re-use. A video on this case study is being finalised and this is being presented in the Interiors Insight Workshops at the Workspace Design Show on the 26th February.

Ecophon then provided an update on the Saint Gobain approach to circularity and described their takeback scheme and how this could support re-warranting product for future use.  A discussion around the need for standards, similar to those that support re-use of steel, resulted recognising the challenge of meeting regulatory standards if information is patchy. This is something FIS is following up through our various product working groups.  

 Following a short update on the Plasterboard Sustainability Partnership, a group that is currently being revitalised to look at better monitoring and reduction of plasterboard waste, there was an open discussion on the opportunities and challenges of re-using doors followed. Whilst it was recognised legacy issues will make the reuse of doors difficult, the potential to rethink the approach to specifying and installing doors would open huge opportunity.  It is an interesting area to explore the subject of re-use as it brings in all factors into play, particularly the modularity of the product and the chain of custody and information management around certification, installation and inspection of doors. Again there is a workshop on this subject at the Interiors Insight Workshops at the Workspace Design Show on the 25th February.

Flavie also updated the group on the FIS Pre-cycle Agreement that had been successfully piloted. The aim is to ensure that reality and practicality of takeback schemes is independently reviewed and that the particulars should be agreed at the prior to installation so an end of service life plan can be successfully created. This does not create a legally binding contract, but a structured discussion between the supplier and the customer that will ensure that waste is minimised and costs recognised. 

Komfort provided some key finding from work they have been doing on recycling glass and the Supply Chain Sustainability School gave an update on assessment tools and carbon calculators available freely to FIS members through the school that we have helped to shape and can help provide aggregated impact assessment and benchmarking in the sector.

We then went to the pub and talked about sustainability a bit more!