The College has forged a pioneering partnership with Saxen Commercial Interiors — Scotland’s leading provider of new and refurbished commercial furniture — to embed environmental and economic sustainability into its campus environments. Since launching the collaboration, the College has invested nearly £15,000 in upcycled, recycled and refurbished furniture supplied by Saxen. This investment supported furnishing across multiple campus spaces, most notably the College’s café, which was recently fitted out using Saxen’s sustainable furniture solutions.
Saxen’s approach aligns closely with circular-economy principles: they refurbish existing furniture through their “Refurbhub”, restoring all kinds of office furniture, from lounge seating to desking, pods, booths, and storage, at a fraction of the cost of new pieces. This process extends product lifecycles and avoids landfill. Some of the furniture also incorporates eco-friendly materials such as recycled textiles and plastics, helping reduce resource consumption and embodied carbon.
In addition to sourcing from Saxen, the College supports furniture donation. Surplus items from the College are passed on via Saxen to local charities and community organisations, boosting reuse, community benefit and resource circulation.
By adopting Saxen as its “first port of call” for furniture procurement, the College is embedding sustainability into everyday decisions, aligning with its broader institutional commitment to social, environmental and economic responsibility. The result is attractive, functional spaces on campus that symbolise care for people and planet — and a practical demonstration that reuse and circular procurement can deliver value, reduce waste and support local communities.
Saxen is delighted at Ayrshire College’s support and faith in us, we are incredibly proud of the work we do to bring sustainability into every project we undertake. We look forward to
seeing what the future brings and embracing this journey.
Lyndsey McLarney, Interiors Solutions Manager, Saxen