Steelcase Think(R) Chair Achieves Highest Level(TM) Certification to New BIFMA e3 Standard
01 June 2009 - 11:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Steelcase
Think(R) chair has received level(TM) 3 certification to the new
Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association
(BIFMA) e3 sustainability standard. Think was independently
certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Level(TM) 3
certification is the highest level of achievement possible in this
BIFMA certification program. Manufacturers can only achieve
level(TM) certification from a participating third party, such as
SCS, which meets rigorous level(TM) criteria for certification
bodies and assesses products against the specified BIFMA standard.
The e3 standard represents BIFMA's first multi-attribute
sustainability standard specifically for furniture. BIFMA gathered
a diverse group of stakeholders to help develop the sustainability
standard to distinguish environmentally preferable business and
institutional furniture. The standard has multiple conformance
levels, i.e. levels 1, 2, or 3 with level(TM) 3 being the highest.
Products are certified using a point system that encompasses both
product and facility characteristics and environmentally-friendly
corporate policies. "This is an outstanding achievement that honors
the strong sustainability design aspects of Think and is a
reflection of Steelcase's commitment to designing for the
environment," said Jim Keane, president, Steelcase North America.
"No other chair has been so carefully considered with regard to its
impact on the environment in all stages of product lifecycle. The
steps taken during the development of Think have led the way for
other products." "Steelcase's ability to achieve level(TM) 3
certification is a testament to their longstanding commitment to
sustainability and sustainable product design," Tom Reardon,
executive director, BIFMA noted. "It is no simple achievement."
"It's gratifying to see how all of our work in materials chemistry,
life cycle assessment and end of life strategies for our products
contributed to this level(TM) 3 certification," Keane noted. "All
of our future level(TM) product certifications will build on our
longstanding sustainable product development and business
practices." The Think chair is a high performance chair that was
designed for people and the environment. During its development,
Steelcase documented the lifecycle impacts of Think from its raw
material state through manufacturing processes to end of life.
Weighing only 32 pounds, Think uses less material than comparable
chairs. It disassembles in five minutes with common hand tools, is
comprised of up to 37 percent recycled content, and is up to 98
percent recyclable at end of life. In addition to Think, Steelcase
also announced level(TM) certification for its Leap(R), Move(R),
Amia(R), and Siento(R) seating, Answer(R) system, and Universal
storage products. About Steelcase Inc. Steelcase provides
furniture, services and insights to help people have a better work
experience, and to help companies and organizations create
inspiring spaces with a maximum impact on performance and a minimum
impact on the environment. A Michigan-based company that has been
serving customers for nearly a century, Steelcase leads the global
office furniture industry with $3.2 billion in annual revenue
(FY09). Learn more at http://www.steelcase.com/. DATASOURCE:
Steelcase Inc. CONTACT: Sara Whitman, +1-212-931-6121, , for
Steelcase Inc. Web Site: http://www.steelcase.com/
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