Steelcase Takes Industry Lead in Sustainability Standard with 281 BIFMA LEVEL® Certified Products
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, April 1, 2022 – Steelcase announced today progress towards its sustainability goals with a significant increase to its Business and Industrial Furniture Manufacturer’s Association LEVEL certified products. A total of 281 of its products now meet new LEVEL standards, including 114 at LEVEL 3, the highest and most rigorous certification.
The company now has the most LEVEL-certified products in the furniture manufacturing industry and is well on its way to achieving its goal of 90% of North American sales certified as LEVEL 3 products. The products meeting the new standard include a variety of seating, desking, tables and work tools from Steelcase.
LEVEL is an evaluation and certification system for the environmental and social impacts of furniture products in the built environment. LEVEL measures attributes such as product materials and chemicals, manufacturing processes as well as safety management practices in manufacturing and the social responsibility commitments of organizations. Three performance tiers can be awarded, the higher the number, the more difficult the criteria.
“Our aim is always to design products that are good for people and good for the planet, reinforced by fair and sustainable practices across our supply chain,” said Tammy Ayers, market strategy and stakeholder engagement manager of sustainability at Steelcase. “We are on a journey to reduce our footprint in everything we create and seeing this many products receive LEVEL certification is a great step. Today, 97% of Steelcase brand products sold in North America are LEVEL certified — but we’re not finished yet.”
An updated and more challenging version of the LEVEL standard was published in 2019 to harmonize with other leading certifications and to examine use, product manufacturing and end-of-life lenses.
The Steelcase approach to sustainable product design ensures its products are designed with consideration of life cycle thinking and cradle-to-cradle principles. Life Cycle Assessment and hazard/exposure-based chemical assessment methodologies are used to evaluate the full impact of products in the context of a circular economy. All product materials are reviewed to identify, reduce and eliminate chemicals of concern. Products are tested and third-party certified in accordance with best-in-class indoor air quality standards.
More details on the Steelcase commitment to helping create a healthy planet can be found on the Steelcase website. The full list of LEVEL certified products can be found on the SCS Global Services website.
About Steelcase
Organizations around the world trust Steelcase to help them create places that help people work better, be inspired and accomplish more. The company designs, manufactures, and partners with other leading organizations to provide architecture, furniture, and technology solutions – accessible through a network of channels, including over 800 Steelcase dealer locations. Steelcase is a global, industry-leading, and publicly traded company with fiscal year 2022 revenue of $2.8 billion. For more information, visit steelcase.com