{"id":872605,"date":"2025-09-29T11:03:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/?p=872605"},"modified":"2025-09-29T12:48:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T16:48:28","slug":"progress-meets-purpose-our-people-planet-year-in-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/research\/articles\/topics\/people-planet\/progress-meets-purpose-our-people-planet-year-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Progress Meets Purpose: Our People + Planet Year in Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Purpose is what fuels transformation, and it\u2019s more important now than ever. At Steelcase, that purpose drives us to design for the wellbeing of people and the planet \u2014 and this year, we\u2019ve made meaningful strides. We\u2019ve doubled the recycled content in our highest-performing task chairs, expanded our Circular by Steelcase services to keep furniture out of landfills and reduced scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 31% since 2019. We\u2019re helping communities thrive through our Better Futures Community initiatives \u2014 186 employee-led partnerships across 35 global locations foster inclusion, deepen local engagement and amplify impact. And we\u2019re advancing our commitment to a net-zero future by transforming what we make, how we make it and how we deliver it \u2014 with every step grounded in science, integrity and collective action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we build community and act with intention for both people and the planet, we create spaces where everyone can thrive,\u201d notes Kim Dabbs, VP of Impact for Steelcase. \u201cThis impact report reflects our belief that better is always possible \u2014 and that progress is powered by collective action.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Designing Impact With Community<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 2025 Steelcase Impact Report highlights how we advance community wellbeing through inclusive design, local partnerships and employee-led initiatives. Our annual\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/research\/articles\/topics\/people-planet\/designing-better-futures-a-global-challenge\/\"><em>Better Is Possible Design Challenge<\/em><\/a>\u202fis one example \u2014 bringing together employees, Steelcase dealers and community partners across 15 cities to explore belonging \u2014 to create environments where everyone feels seen, heard and valued. Using a human-centered design framework, participants generated ideas that have already led to new partnerships and tangible social impact.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_872608\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_872608\" class=\"wp-image wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1024px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-872608 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_1024,w_1024\/v1758725371\/24-0241515.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_872608\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Better Is Possible Design Challenge participants in Munich, Germany engage in discussion during a design thinking exercise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One such partnership emerged in Malaysia\u2019s Belum-Temengor Rainforest. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/asia-en\/research\/articles\/topics\/people-planet\/a-journey-of-conservation-culture-community\/\">Steelcase Changemakers<\/a> team in Kuala Lumpur, our employee-led volunteer group, worked with the Pulau Banding Foundation to support Indigenous communities. What began as a climate-focused workshop evolved into on-the-ground action: fundraising for school uniforms, delivering supplies and planning clean water infrastructure \u2014 all rooted in local sustainability traditions.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_872609\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_872609\" class=\"wp-image wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 1024px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-872609\" src=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_1024,w_1024\/v1758725583\/25-0263131.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_872609\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steelcase Changemakers Kuala Lumpur visit Belum-Temengor with supplies in hand to share with community members.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"u-shaded u-shaded--light\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-872786 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_1024,w_1024\/v1759158852\/25-0263563.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Read our 2025 Steelcase Impact Report.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button button-gray\" href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/resources\/documents\/steelcase-impact-report-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DOWNLOAD NOW<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Inclusion at Steelcase also showed up in bold, visible ways. Our employee-led Pride Business Inclusion Group partnered with Designtex and Steelcase designers to create \u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/research\/articles\/topics\/people-planet\/pattern-of-pride\/\">Addition Plus<\/a>, a custom textile inspired by the colors in the Progress Pride flag. Each pattern is unique, symbolizing individuality and supporting the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>We advanced our inclusive design practice with the help of Disability Advocates of Kent County, hosting accessibility learning sessions at our Grand Rapids offices. Employees learned directly from individuals with disabilities, whose feedback is now shaping product development and usability testing \u2014 ensuring spaces we create are welcoming to our employees and customers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_872622\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_872622\" class=\"wp-image wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1024px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-872622\" src=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_1024,w_1024\/v1758729597\/25-0254193.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_872622\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Accessibility tours offered Steelcase employees the opportunity to learn from Disability Advocates of Kent County test pilots, individuals with disabilities who provided real-time feedback on our workspaces.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Steelcase also extends its impact to sailors aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers by providing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangebox.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Orangebox<\/a> acoustic pods that offer service men and women privacy and a quiet space for rest or doing video calls with family and friends. This initiative was led by Steelcase Salutes, the company\u2019s veteran-focused Business Inclusion Group, reinforcing its commitment to supporting service members and their families both inside and outside the organization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Net-Zero Future: Grounded in Action<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 2025 Steelcase Impact Report also reflects the urgency and ambition behind our environmental commitments \u2014 especially our pledge to reach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/people-planet\/\">net zero by 2050<\/a>. That means eliminating over 90% of carbon emissions across our value chain, guided by science-based targets. Steelcase was the first in our industry \u2014 and remains the only \u2014 to publish a transparent, actionable net-zero transition plan.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_872623\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_872623\" class=\"wp-image wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 1024px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-872623\" src=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_1024,w_1024\/v1758729875\/25-0253936.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_872623\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Product development team members have worked to improve our products&#8217; sustainable attributes, including increasing the recycled content of our most popular task chairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of our most significant achievements is doubling the recycled content in our most popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/research\/articles\/topics\/people-planet\/full-circle\/\">task chairs<\/a>. As a result, more than 100 parts are no longer made from virgin plastics \u2014 reducing the chairs\u2019 embodied carbon by 35% on average, representing meaningful progress on our path to net zero. Additional improvements include simplifying how parts fit together, clearly marking components for disassembly and documenting engineering details to support future remanufacturing. These changes help extend product life, minimize waste and promote circularity \u2014 all without compromising performance.<\/p>\n<p>This commitment to net zero extends beyond our products \u2014 it\u2019s reshaping how we operate every day across manufacturing, logistics and supply chains. Our Stribro plant in the Czech Republic became the first Steelcase manufacturing facility to cut carbon emissions by 50% from our baseline year, well ahead of our 2030 target across the organization. We achieved this milestone through efficiency upgrades, on-site solar investment and a cleaner electric grid. Across our operations, we\u2019re also rethinking transportation logistics and packaging and reducing waste. And we\u2019re working closely with suppliers to extend our impact. We celebrate the suppliers who achieved 2025 Steelcase Carbon Reduction Leader status, which recognizes suppliers who have committed to set science-based emissions reduction targets.<\/p>\n<p>Because products are our largest source of emissions, we\u2019re designing for circularity \u2014 creating furniture that lasts longer, can be repaired or reused, and is easier to disassemble and recycle. Through programs like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/people-planet\/circular-by-steelcase\/\">Circular by Steelcase<\/a>, we\u2019re helping customers keep products in use longer, reducing waste and creating new opportunities for furniture to be used again through donation or remanufacturing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pull-quote pull-quote-center \"><p>In nature, there is no waste \u2013 everything continues the circle. By designing with circularity in mind, we\u2019re helping our clients be more sustainable while ensuring a steady flow of resources. It\u2019s not just good for the planet \u2013 it\u2019s smart business.<\/p><cite>Michael Held<span>Steelcase Vice President of Global Design<\/span><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<p>We\u2019re also constantly exploring new materials through initiatives like our Sustainable Materials Summit. There, cross-functional teams reimagined the environmental impact of foam, plastics, metals and wood, surfacing bold ideas that are now being prototyped for future product development.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_872624\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_872624\" class=\"wp-image wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"width: 1024px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-872624\" src=\"https:\/\/images.steelcase.com\/image\/upload\/c_limit,dpr_auto,q_70,h_1024,w_1024\/v1758730076\/25-0251428_16x9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_872624\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Circular by Steelcase: Remade offers customers the opportunity to return specific lines of used or damaged chairs and have them remade to original specifications, resulting in lower embodied carbon than a new chair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Whether fostering belonging through inclusive spaces and community partnerships or advancing a net-zero future through bold environmental action, we believe having purpose isn\u2019t just a statement \u2014 it\u2019s a strategy that benefits the wellbeing of people and our planet.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link-highlight\" href=\"https:\/\/www.steelcase.com\/resources\/documents\/steelcase-impact-report-2025\/\">Download our 2025 Impact Report to learn more about our work for people and the planet.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Through a series of environmental and social initiatives, Steelcase has been working to create a better future. Learn more about our company\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37261,"featured_media":872623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"topic":[47663],"class_list":["post-872605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","topic-people-planet"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Impact of Our Environmental &amp; Social Initiatives | Steelcase<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Through a series of environmental and social initiatives, Steelcase has been working to create a better future. 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