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PROVING WHAT WE SAY.
The HON Company is among the first manufacturers to receive certification for products under the level™ certification program ensuring compliance with the BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard.
Developed in response to the increasing demand for proof that manufacturers are living up to their environmental claims, BIFMA’s e3 Sustainability Standard provides measurable market-based definitions of progressively more sustainable furniture.
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The market is flooded with environmental marketing claims. Often the claims are hard to understand and difficult to link to actual product performance. The BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard provides a common set of metrics for measuring the environmental aspects of office furniture; and a common language for reporting performance to end users.
The BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard establishes performance criteria in four key areas of sustainability:
1. Material and Resources
2. Energy and Atmosphere
3. Human and Ecosystem Impact
4. Social Responsibility
In June 2009, Initiate and Abound panel systems achieved level 1 certification. It is the goal of The HON Company to continue certifying additional products to the level guidelines.
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GROWING NEW IDEAS.
The HON Company is among the first manufacturers to receive certification under the BIFMA level certification program. This new standard was developed to provide proof that manufacturers are living up to their environmental claims. And HON demonstrated just that. By certifying to the Silver level its environmental performance claims for Initiate® panel system with Nature CoreTM, HON demonstrated its ongoing commitment to sustainability.
The newly certified Initiate panel system features HON’s innovative, patent pending Nature Core substrate, which is the first of its kind for the office furniture industry. Nature Core is made from an agri-fiber called kenaf, a natural, sustainable crop that replenishes itself every four to six months. In addition to BIFMA level certification program, the low-emitting Nature Core allows Initiate to be certified as Indoor Advantage Gold, meeting the most stringent standards for furniture emissions in the U.S.
Nature Core Fiberboard Highlights:
- Kenaf fibers are annually renewable
- No formaldehyde is added
- Fire retardant materials are natural and meet UL Class “A” fire rating
- Structural performance that adds more durability to the panel system
- Sound-blocking characteristics (STC) exceeding BIFMA standards for a more acoustic friendly environment
- Tackable surface for a more efficient workplace
Nature Core Fiberboard Product Availability and Updates:
- Initiate® tackable panels built with Nature Core fiberboard, used in combination with low-emitting worksurfaces, allow Initiate to be the first panel system to meet the requirements for Indoor AdvantageTM Gold certification.
- Nature Core fiberboard is now being offered in all Initiate tackable panels.
- At present all worksurfaces are low-emitting.
DOWNLOAD NATURE CORE FACT SHEET (PDF)
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CLEARING THE AIR.
In 2006, The HON Company became the world's first office furniture manufacturer to have products certified by the Indoor AdvantageTM program. Virtually all manufactured products emit chemical compounds into the air. Indoor Advantage evaluates these compounds to help improve the air quality within enclosed indoor environments.
Developed by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), Indoor Advantage subjects products to the most rigorous indoor air quality standards in the United States. Further, Indoor Advantage tests individual components as well as overall assemblies, and provides detailed analysis of a comprehensive range of chemicals rather than a simple pass/fail for only the most common. This enables us to help our suppliers reduce the environmental impact of their products and processes, too.
SCS offers two levels of certification:
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- Indoor AdvantageTM certifies conformance with LEED-CI criteria for EQ4.5, as well as BIFMA X7.1 Low-Emitting Furniture and Seating.
- Indoor Advantage GoldTM certifies additional conformance with California 01350 Special Environmental Requirements and Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS).
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Indoor Advantage Gold is our goal for all products. Visit Scientific Certification Systems' Web site to learn more about Indoor Advantage.
Indoor Advantage Gold Certified Products:
Workstations
- Initiate® Panel Systems - Initiate® workstations constructed with Nature CoreTM fiberboard and low emitting worksurfaces.
Storage & Files
- Select Metal Storage and Files (Exceptions include ETA Storage Cabinets and 800, 700, 600, 500, & 400 Series Laterals)
Chairs
- 1080 Series Stacking Chairs
- 24 Hour Chairs (77X4 Series)
- 4051 Multi-Purpose Chair
- 4700 Mobius
- 5400 Series Seating
- 7700 Series Seating
- 7800 Series Seating
- Alaris™ Seating (4220 Series)
- Allure™ Seating (3300 Series)
- ComforTask® (5900 Series)
- Convergence® Contemporary Seating (4900 series)
- Every-Day® Chair (7900 Series)
- F3™ Series Seating
- Gamut® Seating (2070 Series)
- GuestStacker® (4030 Series)
- High Density Olson Stacker® (4040 Series)
- Ignition™ Series Seating
- MirusTM Seating
- Olson Series
- Pagoda® (4070 Series)
- Park Avenue Collection® Seating (5020 Series, 5060 Series)
- Perpetual® Seating (4300 Series, PN Series)
- Pillow-Soft™ Seating (2090 Series)
- Proficiency™ 4-Leg Chairs (H101X Series)
- Pyramid™ Seating (3500 Series)
- Resolution® Seating (6200 Series)
- Sensible Seating® (6000 Seating)
- Solutions Seating® (4000 Series)
- Tiempo® Seating (4600 Series)
- Unanimous® (7600 Series)
- ValuTask® (5831 Series)
Education
- AccomplishTM Classroom Furniture
- SmartLinkTM Classroom Furniture
Indoor Advantage Certified Products:
Lateral Files
- 800, 700, 600, 500, & 400 Series Laterals
Laminate Casegoods Workstations
- Park Avenue Collection®
- ValidoTM Series
- 10500 Series
- 10600 Series
- 10700 Series
- 94000 Series
- AttuneTM Collection
Workstations
- AboundTM System
Indoor Advantage is a trademark of Scientific Certification Systems. level is a trademark of BIFMA. LEED and Green Building Rating Systems are registered trademarks of USGBC.
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CALL IT TREECYCLING.
Trees contribute more than just beauty to the world — they also sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, increase available oxygen, filter air pollutants, decrease water pollutants, reduce flooding and more. While trees are renewable resources, they're also relatively slow growing. That's why The HON Company has taken steps to reduce the number of trees that must be cut down to create our products. |
Rather than newly harvested wood, we use postconsumer wood waste for many seating components. Basically, we're recycling wood that has already been used for other products and is now being discarded after completing its intended use. We use a compression molding process to form this wood waste into usable chair components. This process, called Comold, enables us to save 5,000 acres of virgin forest and divert nearly 10,000 tons of wood waste from landfills — every single year. |
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OLD PAINT MADE NEW AGAIN.
The HON Company's waste-reduction efforts extend to the paint we use on our products. Our powdercoat finishes are applied in a special chamber that continuously collects unused paint particles and loops them back into an electrostatic spray gun. Paint particles that remain at the end of each project are saved and combined with other paint particle colors to create black paint.
HON manufacturing locations recycle over 50,000 gallons of wet paint annually. Approximately 60% of this recycled wet paint was used on site, at HON. |
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SHODDY THINKING.
The HON Company minimizes fabric waste by using precise, computer-guided cutting machines. Nonetheless, fabric scraps are inevitable. We collect our scrap fabric and turn it over to a company that shreds it for use in "shoddy" — a fibrous material predominately used as a trunk liner in the automotive industry.
Annually, we recycle more than 300 bales of fabric scraps — keeping more than 300,000 lbs. of fabric waste out of landfills. |
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BULKING UP.
Hundreds of millions of tons of construction debris is generated annually by U.S. construction alone.
For years, The HON Company has been working to reduce the amount of packing material delivered to customer sites. Our bulk packing option consumes fewer raw materials and decreases the amount of shipping materials our customers must recycle or send to landfills. Reducing cartoning also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing the number of trucks needed to deliver HON product.
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SOY TRUE.
The HON Company has introduced soy-based foam to more than half of its total seating line. Soy-based foam is used on many of the most popular chair lines including Pillow-Soft™, Alaris™ and Perpetual®. Up to 15 percent of the total foam used in these chairs is made with soy-based oil. Soy foam manufacturers note that soy foam leaves a smaller environmental footprint than its petroleum-based counterpart because it is made partially from plant-based oils, known as polyol, rather than petroleum chemicals. The use of soy foam leads to reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and energy used to produce the material over prior petroleum based foams used in furniture.
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RUNWAY STYLE.
Creating an environmentally responsible office doesn't mean sacrificing style and performance for the sake of sustainability. A new 100% recycled yarn, made from post-industrial waste and post-consumer bottles adds a bit of runway style to The HON Company's office seating.
HON offers this yarn, Repreve®, a 100-percent recycled fiber, in two of its seating fabrics, Gio and Charged. It is available on more than ninety percent of HON's seating line, including VersantTM, CambiaTM, Pillow-SoftTM, Park AvenueTM, AlarisTM, F3TM and Unanimous®. REPREVE can also be found in many fashion and performance apparel products, including Patagonia's Synchilla fleece vest.
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