Office Furniture Industry Sets Sustainability Guidelines

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With new guidelines in place, workplace furniture is cleaning up its act. Expect to see products that lessen the impact on the environment’s health, and human health. Suppliers will be making wood finishes that pollute less; plastic resins that emit few to no chemicals; and goods made of recycled plastics, metals, and padding.

 

New green standards have been adopted by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The BIFMA Sustainability Standard covers the gamut of business furniture sustainability issues – from human and ecosystem health to materials and natural resource utilization. A broad group of stakeholders crafted the standard in a consensus development process. The sustainability standard was drafted based on input from product designers, manufacturers, environmental groups, governmental representatives, customers, engineers, and academicians. 

 

 

The new sustainability guidelines help furniture manufacturers display their commitment to lessening their impact on the environment, and help customers understand the green benefits of the office and institutional furniture they buy. Based upon the LEED building rating system, the business furniture products are awarded a certain number of points based on how low their environmental impact is. Products will bear the silver, gold, or platinum level award.

 

 

This is an enormous task for the industry, particularly for the smaller players. Fortunately, it’s not a “pass/fail” system – there’s a range in the standards, which allows suppliers and manufacturers to make gradual changes. The BIFMA standard will be updated every three years based on emerging information. The eco-furniture movement began in the late 1990s but now there is a uniform template to go by. The new standards won overwhelming approval in a consensus vote.

 

BIFMA began the task of drawing up the standards largely in response to the market demands for environmentally friendly manufactured goods. Office furniture manufacturers hope that other industries will use their guidelines to develop their own strategies for going green.

By Michelle Simmons
Get Furniture Jobs, Contributing Editor