10 Ways We’re Protecting the Future Work Environment

This Earth Week, we celebrate people and the positive impact we can have on our environment, working together to provide healthy, inspiring spaces where great work happens.

At Haworth, we are passionate about transforming spaces around the world to improve the quality of life for people—at work, at home, and everywhere in-between. We’re committed to creating a sustainable future so that people can continue to live well and do their best work for years to come.

We deliver on our commitment using a Value Stream as a framework to ground our thinking in a holistic, sustainable manner.

Being transparent and sharing our practices is key to our ongoing commitment. Here are 10 ways we leverage this framework in our ongoing approach to embed sustainable practices across the organization:

Design
1. We design with people and the environment in mind.

Haworth products are created through intensive research and careful consideration of ergonomic impacts, ease of use, assembly and disassembly, as well the materials we use. Compliance with legal requirements, regulations, and directives such as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) is our standard, but we take it one step further—going beyond what is mandated to further reduce potentially hazardous materials in our products.

We continue to offer products free of problematic chemicals such as:

• Non-stick additives derived from per- and poly-fluorinated compounds
• Antimicrobials
• PVC and associated phthalates
• Halogenated flame retardants
• Heavy metals

Supply Chain
2. We partner with our suppliers to provide increased material transparency and healthy, sustainable choices.

Haworth works with responsible suppliers who stand up to our code of conduct expectations. We work diligently with our supply chain to increase transparency and drive the use of healthy, sustainable materials.

Manufacturing & Logistics
3. We are and will remain a global Zero Waste to Landfill company.

In 2009, Haworth’s North American, Chinese, and Indian operations achieved Zero Waste to Landfill status and are committed to remain as such. Our European operations joined this effort in 2012. Since then, we have invested over 1 million dollars each year to keep waste from the landfill. Haworth recycles waste materials from manufacturing, including metals, wood, plastic, fabric, powder paint, cardboard, office waste, and food. 

4. We are committed to reducing emissions from our facilities.

Sharing responsibility for sustainable approaches spans our entire global manufacturing footprint. Since 2005, through our Environmental Management System (EMS), Haworth has reduced VOC emissions by 93%, greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, and water usage by 15%.

5. Our teams work to reduce packaging waste around the world.

Haworth members around the globe continually work to create better, more sustainable packaging solutions. The Haworth Germany team recently reduced the amount of foil packaging associated with a table product line by 98%. Shanghai members reduced certain particleboard usage by 50%. And, North American teams compiled a host of initiatives that will result in an estimated 255,000-pound annual reduction in packaging materials used.

Usage & Performance
6. We simplify our customers’ ability to achieve certifications that align with their goals.

Attaining certifications for Haworth’s own spaces drives sustainable policy and practices across our organization. Our Beijing showroom is the world’s first LEED v4 CI GOLD certified project; while our Shanghai showroom is the first WELL certified commercial interior in Asia. Additionally, environmental data sheets for our products are available on our website. Here’s an example of one for the Fern® chair.

Continued & After Use
7. To prevent used items from being discarded into landfills, we encourage our customers to contact our dealer partners regarding regional options for product reuse and recycling.

Haworth products are designed for a long life, due to high quality materials, enduring design, and targeted replaceable parts. Aligned with our Zero Waste to Landfill philosophy, we partner with companies that will find a second life for products—often through remanufacturing or charitable donations. We facilitate recycling with easy disassembly and marked parts that help with recycle category separation.

 

People & Community
8. We’re working to preserve our precious lakes and waterways.

Haworth’s global headquarters is located near the shores of Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes—and one of the world’s largest source of fresh water. Keeping these bodies of water and the surrounding areas environmentally healthy has been a passion of our members for many years.

9. Our HQ roof has gone green.

The green roof at One Haworth Center provides environmentally friendly benefits. Not only does it protect our building from the elements, it offers acoustic and thermal insulation, cools and filters the air, and absorbs runoff. It’s also a beautiful sight to see as you approach the building, and has even attracted nature’s fauna on occasion—from deer to snowy owls.

10. We’re kind to honeybees.

Connecting with community and environment extends to Haworth’s members in Chennai, India. Noticing an increase in bee activity in and around their building, they partnered with Pest Control India (PCI) to devise a sustainable solution that would protect the people in the plant without harming the bees. Whenever a hive is spotted, PCI is notified, and a technician is dispatched to arrive after sundown when the bees are less active and members are not in the plant. Using smoke from an eco-friendly source, the bees are calmed and the hive is safely removed. Petroleum jelly is then applied to the area where the site was, discouraging the bees from returning and compelling them to relocate to a more suitable location.

We work hard to adapt, evolve and grow because we are passionate about helping people do their best work today, and for years to come. Visit haworth.com/eu to learn more about our sustainability commitment and our efforts around the world.