First furnishings certified under BIFMA sustainability standard

by Mark Sanchez | Business Review Western Michigan

A program to certify compliance with a new industry standard moves office furniture makers further into the world of sustainability.

Steelcase Inc. and Herman Miller Inc. are among the first seven manufacturers to earn third-party certification for products that comply with an industry sustainability standard adopted last year by BIFMA International.

While the standard is voluntary, office furniture makers face increasing market demands to show and verify the sustainable attributes of their products and generally welcome a common measure that they and clients can use.

"We have some customers who are now using this criteria as a level of entry," Steelcase Director of Marketing Jody Hanson said of clients' interest in sustainability.

That's where having an independent certification can help in the bidding and sales process, she said.

"It's one thing for the company to report our environmental performance. It's another thing to have a third party validate that," Hanson said.

Among the products Steelcase certified was its Think office chair, which received a Level 3 certification -- the highest available. Steelcase also earned certification for its Leap, Move, Amia and Siento seating, Answer office system and Universal storage products.

Herman Miller earned certification for its seating lines -- including the Aeron, Mirra, Celle, Embody and Caper chairs -- and a number of office systems and storage units.

The Grand Rapids-based BIFMA recently launched its Level certification program, which gauges whether a product meets the sustainability standard.

BIFMA uses Ann Arbor-based NSF International and Scientific Certification Systems in California as third-party certifiers, and Executive Director Tom Reardon hopes to soon sign more, including a Grand Rapids company.

Given the growing sustainability movement, Reardon hopes the number of companies with certified products will double within a year.

"Seven companies is a great start. It's not enough to meet market demand," Reardon said. "It's just the beginning."

Reardon expects more companies to gear products toward meeting the standard, though it may prove more difficult for some than others.

Trendway Corp. President Bill Bundy said he likes having a common measure for products, calling it "a good thing." But he considers the BIFMA standard "overwhelming" for small manufacturers like his, saying it "raises the price to play.

"It makes ISO look relatively straight forward," Bundy said. "It's going to be a lot of work."