On top of being newly certified as level 3 by BIFMA, the new Think chair has been named Product of the Year in the third annual Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards. Think has measured and minimized its lifelong impact on human and environmental health, and has been redesigned with fewer parts for easy recycling and quicker disassembly. We’re proud of these significant sustainability achievements.
Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards
This program honours companies making the biggest difference in the field of energy, environmental and sustainability management. This recognition helps others make smart decisions about what products to purchase or what sorts of initiatives to implement.
When assessing the new Think, one judge commented, “So, I have to admit a bias in that I like Steelcase products, the company, all of them! They have been an industry leader from the start in sustainable design, production and distribution and it is great to see them still at the lead. Specially, this example of two really unique features – design for easy disassembly (and reuse/recycling) and the meaningful inclusion of recycled content along with other significant innovative business practices.”
See the report distinguishing Think and other winners.
BIFMA level 3
With three levels of certification, level 3 is both the highest and most difficult to achieve. Our third-party certification review was performed by SCS Global Services.
The new Think is now level 3 certified to the ANSI/BIFMA e3-2012 furniture sustainability standard, becoming our seventh level 3 product. level® is a multi-attribute sustainability standard and third-party certification program that provides a means for evaluating and communicating the environmental and social impact of interior products in a building environment.
Products and manufacturers are evaluated in three categories:
• Product
• Facility
• Organization
Across four impact areas:
• Materials
• Energy & atmosphere
• Human & ecosystem health
• Social responsibility
As building owners and design professionals focus on the importance of material chemistry and health effects in particular, they will appreciate that the level 3 certification of the new Think chair includes the evaluation of chemicals in materials that exist in proportions as small as 100 parts per million, to ensure that products are safe for human and ecosystem health.