This spring, Steelcase introduced its new Think™ office chair—an ambitious statement of both ergonomic performance and environmental intelligence, designed in collaboration with MBDC and the Institute for Product Development in Denmark.

Combining Environmental Approaches

In developing the Think chair, Steelcase applied both traditional environmental approaches aimed at limiting impact, and C2C methods to maximize the product's positive environmental effects.

"I think it's really smart to combine approaches," says Jay Bolus, MBDC's project lead for the Think. "They're selecting the right materials, and paying attention to all the environmental impacts. It makes a stronger story than if they had followed just one approach."

In order to minimize the environmental burdens associated with resource extraction, the chair is lightweight and made from 41% recycled materials. And a comprehensive product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), conducted by the Institute for Product Development in Denmark, tracks the overall environmental impacts of the chair's entire life cycle, providing a wealth of benchmark information on the chair.

Steelcase also hired MBDC to use the Cradle to Cradle Design Protocol to assess the human and environmental health effects of each of the materials (and their chemical ingredients) used to make the product. As a result, the materials used to make the Think chair were positively selected to be environmentally safe and healthy.

Cradle-to-Cradle Life Cycles

Additionally, the chair was designed to take part in a productive "technical metabolism" of production, use, and perpetual recycling. The Think can be disassembled in about five minutes using ordinary hand tools—so it can easily be repaired and reconditioned, and its materials can be separated for recycling. And 99% of the chair's materials can be recycled after use.

As a result of the Think chair project, Steelcase has also taken important steps to make the cradle-to-cradle life cycle a reality. In June, the company introduced the Steelcase Environmental Partnership, a corporate-wide environmental program designed to help its customers to resell, refurbish, donate or recycle all Steelcase office products. Steelcase and its dealers can help customers extend the useful life of their furniture by refurbishing the furniture; facilitating its sale or donation to another organization that can still use the furniture; or by helping customers recycle the furniture, in order to "close the loop" on valuable materials and create productive technical metabolisms. A network of recyclers, resellers, non-profit agencies, and charitable organizations are joining Steelcase as part of this program.

Jay Bolus sees the Environmental Partnership as an important step forward in addressing key issues of sustainability. "Steelcase is saying, 'We're going to take responsibility for our products and we're going to help you make the best end-of-life decision. We don't have all the answers, but we're working on it and we're serious about it.' It's a big move"

Greater Things to Come…

With the successful development of the Think chair behind it, Steelcase is planning to incorporate the project's insights and methods broadly throughout the company. To start with, MBDC will conduct a material assessment of the top 10 materials used in Steelcase products. By benchmarking products using MBDC's cradle-to-cradle criteria, Steelcase aims to eliminate waste and optimize products and processes so that the materials they use are healthy for humans and the environment. Additionally, the company plans to use the new processes to develop products that can be perpetually recovered and reused.

Steelcase will utilize MBDC's technical expertise to enhance its knowledge about its materials' characteristics, implement a materials scoring tool to facilitate the selection of optimum materials, and identify innovative product design opportunities. MBDC will serve as a materials expert resource enabling Steelcase product teams to make informed decisions in the product design process.

"Steelcase, renowned for its product quality, applies a broad definition of quality to its products, which includes assessing the potential human and environmental impact across entire product life cycles," said David Rinard, director of environmental performance for Steelcase. "Through this collaboration with MBDC, we will enhance our existing product design process and further define our corporate strategy with an eye on continuous improvement and environmental sustainability."

Learn more about the Think chair at Steelcase's website. View the Think chair microsite and look for the "Meet the Environmentalists" clip in the Think Environment section of the site to see a video clip of MBDC's Jay Bolus describing the chair's environmental achievements. You can also download the Think Environmental Product Declaration (PDF file), including its cradle-to-cradle life cycle characterization.