Ken1969

Herman Miller: How Profits and Sustainability Parallel

Certainly Herman Miller has focused on the environment as a key strategy in developing their brand. But it's fascinating to me how they have been able to do it without real environmental results that rival their competitors. On the other hand, Steelcase seems to be doing the most tangibly but getting the least play in the media. According to McDonough and Braungart, Steelcase has more Cradle-to-Cradle certified products than any company. Not just any office furniture company ... any company! They also just put together a website - www.beagreengiant.com - that finally sums up their total sustainability commitment. It's an interesting angle. Seems to support their more humble approach, but is actually backed up with some meaty content.
Should be interesting to see where this goes in the near future. Word is Steelcase is committed to not just making all of their new products "green" but they're going back to all of their existing products. I think that would make them the ONLY major office furniture company where a designer could spec "green" from any of their product lines.