At Herman Miller, respecting the environment is more than just good business practice – it’s the right thing to do.
Environmental statement
Herman Miller’s concern for the environment goes back decades, forming one of the company’s core values.
Herman Miller is committed to continuously improving the way products are made and services are delivered to avoid damaging the environment.
We recognise our responsibility to:
- Minimise waste by following the priority order of reduce, re-use, recycle, compost, incinerate, landfill
- Implement technologies to use energy resources efficiently
- Strive to surpass conformance to the law, compliance being the minimum standard by which we rate our performance
- Use company resources to promote environmental knowledge and awareness to those involved in our business, including employees, customers, regulators, suppliers, neighbours and competitors
- Review and improve the environmental impact of materials used in our products and processes
Our efforts have been recognised by a number of environmental awards
New product development
Herman Miller began designing for the environment decades ago with an emphasis on high-quality, durable furniture. The longer products are used, the less often replacements are needed. Longevity simply means better management of the earth's resources.
The company's Environmental Design Team is dedicated to developing ways to use more environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes for new product designs - without compromising quality.
Recycled content by weight of Herman Miller work chairs
Mirra
Mirra is environmentally friendly and is 96% recyclable.
Equa
77 percent recycled content including steel, polypropylene, PET FG, aluminium, foam, and fabric.
Aeron
60.41 percent recycled content including steel, polypropylene, nylon GF, PET 30 percent GF, and aluminium.
Ambi
41.89 percent recycled content including steel, polypropylene, nylon, nylon GF, polystyrene, foam, and fabric.
Recycled content of the primary materials used in systems furniture
The steel used in filing, hanger frames, flipper units, and other systems components has a recycled content of about 30 percent.
Four vertical surface fabric lines are made from 100 percent recycled polyester.
The recycled content of plastic in seating and systems furniture is 10-15 percent, depending on the part.
The particle board used in wood worksurfaces contains 90 percent recycled content.
Recycled drinks bottles are the primary source of plastic for the Equa and Aeron seat shells. Each shell uses approximately 36 two-litre bottles.
The total recycled content of an Ethospace workstation is quite high based on its components:
Worksurfaces: 90 percent recycled content
Steel frames: 30 percent recycled content
Tiles: 30 percent recycled content
Recycling Herman Miller products
Most Herman Miller products and components are recyclable. In general, parts made of polypropylene, steel, or aluminium are 100 percent recyclable. That means for example that the Ethospace frame, which is made of steel, is 100 percent recyclable.
Some products contain a mixture of materials. The Aeron chair's Pellicle material is a combination of fibreglass and plastic and therefore difficult to recycle. But the Pellicle makes up only about four percent of the chair. Other components - such as the steel tilt assembly, pneumatic cylinder, polymer frame, and aluminium base and arms - are recyclable. The Equa and Ambi chair lines are also composed largely of recyclable materials, including the metals, fabric, and foam.
Recyclability is influenced by how easily a product can be taken apart so that its components can be separated by material. Guidelines developed by the Earth Friendly Design Task Force ensure products are easily disassembled, making them easier to recycle.
Fabrics and finishes
Choices for colours, materials, and finishes (CMF) on new products are influenced by many factors ranging from technical to subjective, including customer preferences and environmental impact. In some areas, technology has not caught up with the demand for earth-friendly materials. For example, while the shorter fibres found in recycled yarn are suitable for vertical surfaces, they do not meet Herman Miller's standards for durable upholstery fabric. Eventually, many of the colours, materials, and finishes that are common today will be phased out in favour of alternatives that will be both earth-friendly and high-quality.
Powder coat finds new application
For some time now, powder coat finishes have been used on metal parts with great success. Powder coat finishes on wood, however, are new. At Herman Miller, the process is being used on fibre board components featuring soft, rounded edges. Earth-friendly benefits of this technique include the elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ease of product renewal and recycling, and a more streamlined manufacturing process.
Water-based stains replace solvents
A switch from solvent- to water-based stains on all standard veneers in the robotic spray line of Herman Miller's European manufacturing facilities in Bath, UK has yielded greater colour consistency and a reduction in VOCs. This change is in keeping with the process used at Herman Miller's US factories and with our goal to be the first furniture manufacturer using a complete water-based veneer finishing system. This process is also being evaluated for special stain-to-match orders.
Autodeposition: a new alternative in metal finishing
A new, state-of-the-art metal finishing system uses autodeposition to apply a high-quality finish on metal components. The process - which uses chemical reactions instead of electrical energy to apply a coating containing no toxic or heavy metals - has fewer stages, requires less equipment, and uses less energy. Autodeposition also minimises solid waste and yields very low or no VOCs.
Earth-friendly fabrics
Several factors affect the environmental impact of fabrics. These include recyclability, recycled content, the process used to dye the fabric, and how it is cut and/or fitted to the piece of furniture. To be recyclable, fabric must be composed of a single material. Most of the current fabric offerings already meet this criterion. The exceptions are wool, which is blended with nylon for strength and durability, and Pellicle, the material used on the Aeron chair. Additionally, Herman Miller avoids textiles with additives or backings that might render the fabric unrecyclable.
Knit-to-size fabrics on chairs offer another earth-friendly benefit in that they minimise fabric waste. Rather than being cut and sewn, these upholstery fabrics are knitted to the desired shape. Additionally, some fabrics are solution dyed, a process yielding less waste than other colouring techniques. Streamlined processes like these also result in energy savings.
Sustainable wood supplies
Since 1991, Herman Miller has purchased woods coming only from sustainable supplies. To qualify, the wood cannot be harvested faster than it is being replenished. This policy resulted in new veneer options for the classic Eames lounge chair and ottoman when Herman Miller decided to eliminate rosewood and, for a time, teak. Herman Miller verifies sustainability by sending staff members to logging sites to view harvesting practices.
Manufacturing
Herman Miller's manufacturing processes have long been the target of initiatives to reduce, reuse, and recycle. These efforts relate to five primary areas of waste management: solids, hazardous materials, air emissions, water emissions, and energy efficiency. Great strides have been made in reducing waste volume in every category.
Solid waste management
Total solid waste is any material that does not become part of a product. It includes materials that are reused, recycled, or shipped to landfills, and wood waste used as fuel by the Herman Miller Energy Centre and a local utility company.
By minimizing landfill expenses, reusing materials, generating steam and electricity at the Energy Centre, and earning revenue from recycling, Herman Miller is controlling its operating costs - and that's reflected in product prices. For example, following a change to a new waste contractor in 2001, 600 tonnes of waste MDF that was previously sent to landfill by the factories in Bath, UK are now recycled, cutting costs significantly.
Recycling manufacturing waste
Herman Miller has been creative in finding new opportunities for using scrap materials:
• Fabric is converted into sound-deadening material in cars.
• Leather is made into briefcases and duffel bags.
• PVC vinyl edging is returned to the supplier to be re-extruded into new edging.
• Paper is recycled into bathroom tissue.
• Work surface 'blanks' are recycled into shelf components.
Reducing manufacturing waste
The primary method of reducing manufacturing waste is through returnable packaging. Rugged, reusable plastic bins, rather than disposable packaging, are used to ship materials from vendors and between factories. Returnable packaging has also yielded other benefits, including less damage to shipped goods and increased efficiency and productivity in the manufacturing areas
Lean-thinking initiatives
Lean-thinking initiatives are another step along the path toward more earth-friendly processes and procedures. This focus on the elimination of all possible waste adds value to products and also contributes to a safer, more environmentally friendly workplace. Lean-thinking events throughout the corporation have resulted in cleaner air emissions, less material usage, less solid waste generated, and more efficient use of space, which translates into energy reductions.
Hazardous waste management
Reducing the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing is the first strategy in lowering hazardous waste. Hazardous-material use has been steadily declining as new manufacturing technologies and techniques have been implemented. For example, the conversion from liquid paint to powder coat in metal plants throughout the corporation has resulted in significant reductions because clean-up solvents are no longer used. Products in custom colours that cannot be formulated with powder coat are finished with liquid paint. And in another change, solvent-based adhesives have been largely replaced with water-based alternatives.
Control of air emissions
Herman Miller has been tackling the problem of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through several measures including:
• the conversion from liquid paint to powder coat on metal components
• the conversion from solvent-based to water-based adhesives
• the introduction of powder coat on wood
• the introduction of autodeposition on metal
• the use of paint heaters
• a reduction in the amount of solvents used for clean-ups
In 1990, Herman Miller became the first wood manufacturer to install state-of-the-art, solvent-based, wood finish lines complete with incinerators to capture and destroy the solvent emissions. The incinerators destroy over 96 percent of the VOCs that might otherwise escape.
Packaging and delivery
Parts in
Packaging and transportation practices have been modified to minimise waste and save valuable resources. Since the early 1990s, dozens of suppliers have committed to packaging alternatives that fulfill one or more of these criteria: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Returnable pallets and packaging have largely replaced one-time packaging. That which is not returnable is recyclable. These changes to packaging have yielded several additional benefits, including improved quality of parts, improved safety, better space utilization, greater trailer capacity, and improved ergonomics.
Products out
Cardboard boxes, once the predominant packaging material for products bound for customers, have been largely replaced by two other packaging methods: blanket wrapping and shrink wrapping. The company goal is to blanket wrap 80 percent of all products that are direct-shipped.
Currently, half of all panels and frames pegged for direct shipment are blanket wrapped, 40 percent are shrink wrapped, and the remaining 10 percent are boxed. Forty percent of work chairs are shipped blanket wrapped while the rest are boxed.
Shrink wrapping
As a product passes through a revolving ring, plastic film is stretched and wrapped around it. Because products are visible during transport, there is less damage during shipping. At a customer's installation site, stretch-wrapped products are easier to identify and open, and there is little waste cluttering the site. Packaging disposal is easier and less costly because there is less material and the film is recyclable.
A shrink- or blanket- wrapped product weighs much less than a boxed one. Less packaging weight also translates into lower fuel costs in transporting goods to customers. The seven ring wrappers at the Zeeland manufacturing facility alone reduce packaging weight by about 3.6 million pounds per year.
Buildings
Since 1950, with the design and construction of the Zeeland headquarters site, Herman Miller has paid special attention to the environmental aspects of its facilities. From the placement and style of windows to landscaping to the very building materials themselves, Herman Miller facilities exemplify sensitivity to people and place.
The greening of Herman Miller facilities also extends beyond new construction, with energy-saving projects and programmes being implemented on a continuing basis. A fundamental shift in thinking about facility expenditures has made environmentally sound alternatives more feasible.
Rather than looking only at the first cost of a project, the company now examines the long-term benefits and return on investment of earth-friendly choices. Dozens of projects requiring larger up-front investments in equipment or technology are yielding returns ranging from 20 to 400 percent and more. The energy programmes and projects completed over the next seven years will reduce energy costs at Herman Miller by approximately $1 million annually.
Green Lights/Energy Star Buildings
For the past seven years, Herman Miller has voluntarily participated in Green Lights, a programme sponsored by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encouraging the implementation of energy-efficient lighting. With the new lighting, Herman Miller has reduced its energy costs by about $200,000 annually, while earning a 47 percent return on investment.
Energy Star Buildings is another EPA-sponsored programme that encourages energy-efficient upgrades to existing facilities. As a voluntary participant, Herman Miller agreed to complete a five-phase upgrade that will generate at least a 20 percent return on investment. The projects will reduce the company's total energy consumption and air emissions. The EPA provides resources to achieve the goal, including web resources for products, services, and information.
These programmes complement the Green Buildings programme of the U.S. Green Buildings Council, a nonprofit organization that works with businesses and environmental organisations to promote green building policies, technologies, standards, and design for new facilities. Herman Miller is a founding member of the council.
Energy Centre
Few environmental initiatives at Herman Miller have received as much attention as the Energy Centre. Built in the late 70s and refurbished in 1994, the Centre features a heat-recovery boiler fuelled with burnable solid waste. Two-thirds of the waste comes from Herman Miller facilities in West Michigan and the rest from other manufacturing operations in the area.
The biggest benefit derived from the Energy Centre is the diverting of 13,000 tons of solid waste from the landfill each year. This waste is used to generate all of the heating and cooling and eight percent of the electricity for the main Zeeland complex.
13,000 tons of solid waste is the equivalent of 1,625 lorry loads of solid waste (based on a load of eight tons).
The GreenHouse
The GreenHouse in Holland, Michigan exemplifies Herman Miller's commitment to green building design. The building's use of natural gas has been reduced by seven percent, water/sewer cost has been reduced by 65 percent, and electrical usage has dropped 18 percent when compared to use at the previous facility.
Conventional building materials, such as operable windows and concrete blocks, are used in unconventional ways, maximizing the benefit of their heat-gain capabilities. Native grasses, woodlands, meadow flowers, ponds, and wetlands replace manicured lawns.
