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2. Environmentally friendly products 2.1 Life cycle thinking By looking at every stage of a product life cycle, we avoid the transfer of pollution from one stage to another or even from one country to another. 
With the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), we quantify energy and resource inputs and outputs at all stages of a product’s lifecycle and then determine and weigh the associated impacts to set the stage for improvements. This methodology, based on ISO 14044, aims to establish a basis for making the right choices during the development process, thereby producing cleaner products. Environmental parameters considered throughout the product life cycle are; 2.2 Safe materials We look in-depth at the chemistry of materials and select those that are safe, healthy, and ecologically sound throughout their life-cycle. We use a material assessment protocol which covers 19 criteria assessing the risk of toxic materials on human health (carcinogenicity, disruption of endocrine system) and environmental impact (toxicity on fish and algae, impact on air quality, ozone depletion potential). Together with our partner McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), we: - Analyse the chemicals in the material we use, till the molecular level
- Incorporate human health, environmental impact and overall lifecycle characteristics of both the inputs and of the finished materials
2.3 Transparency Environmental product declaration (EPD) & product environmental profile (PEP) We provide an EPD, a 4-page document based on the Life Cycle Assessment, with our major products and a PEP, a 2-page document with our current and small volume products. The purpose of the EPD and PEP is to communicate clear and transparent information about a product's impacts on the environment at all stage of its life-cycle. They contain information about the list of materials, materials' origin and certifications, percentage of recycled content, plants' certifications and manufacturing processes, packaging and products' recyclability. Labels NF Environnement Many Steelcase products comply with the NF Environnement, a French mark intended to certify that the product; - has a lesser negative impact on the environment
- can offer suitable fitness for use compared to other similar products available on the market.
Blaur Engel [Blue Angel] 
Some of our products comply with the German environmental certification, Blauer Engel [Blue Angel], which promotes the concerns of both environmental protection and consumer protection. 2.4 Commitment to continuous improvement We believe that credible and measurable methodologies are the starting point for the continuous improvement of our products. Instead of sitting back and admiring what our environmental efforts have achieved so far, we are constantly pushing the boundaries in a never-ending process of improvement. As of September 2007, the best sellerUniversal Storage, benefits from several improvements from a design and robustness point-of-view and also in terms of sustainability. Tambour doors are in PP, which has 70% less impact on CO2 emissions than the more commonly-used PVC tambours. 2.5 Environmental partners Environmental Organisations • The French Environment and Energy Management Agency - France (ADEME) • The Technical Industrial Centre for wood and furniture companies - France (CTBA) Partners in the LCA and EPD • The Institute for Product Development - Denmark (IPU) • The Institute for Engineering Design - Austria (TUW) • The Institute of Chambéry - France (ENSAM) Partners in the material analysis • McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry - USA (MBDC) • Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency - Germany (EPEA)
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