Our Contribution
Protecting our environment. Our commitment to environmental excellence. 

 

In 1947 the corporation began making card files from pieces of scrap metal generated from its contract business. More than fifty years later, The HON Company practices one of the industry's strongest and most comprehensive programs to conserve raw materials and reduce waste. 

Today, environmental management is firmly embedded in all HON Company manufacturing processes. We define waste as anything that does not bring value to the customer, and life cycle considerations are a significant part of all product development efforts.

We believe in the integration of safety into environmental philosophy and policies. To us, safety and environment go hand in hand — our overriding goal is to increase safety at the same time we reduce our impact on the environment. Individual responsibility is a fundamental here, based on the knowledge that we each can impact the environment and workplace safety every day. We strive always to move beyond what we are required to do — to focus on what we are capable of doing.

At The HON Company, lean is green. The cellular manufacturing techniques we use across the company bring human scale to process requirements. To work in cells, processes have to be human-friendly. This serves to eliminate harmful solvents and reduce waste, enabling improvement of environmental performance and business performance at the same time — less waste equals less cost.

Green is not trendy; it's a part of our culture. It has always been a part of The HON Company's way of doing business.

LEED, DON'T FOLLOW.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™ is the internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED® gives building owners and operators a road map for making environmentally conscientious decisions. Buildings can achieve LEED® certification by meeting certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks ("credits").

Most HON products can contribute toward one or more credits in the LEED® for commercial interiors category.
For details, please visit hon.com/sustainability

Materials and Resources

Construction Waste Management - MR Credit 2.1 & 2.2
Intent: Reduce the amount of packing material delivered to the site. LEED-CI Reference Manual page 213

Capability: HON will work with client to minimize packaging according to client's ability to receive bulk shipment and blanket wrap. HON will provide documentation of volume avoidance per LEED-CI template.

Recycled Content - MR Credit 4.1 & 4.2
Intent: Value of Recycled Content (Postconsumer + 1/2 Preconsumer)

Capability: HON provides Environmental Data Sheets (EDS) for major products which report recycled material. Experience shows that the recycled content value factor for HON workstations will range from 16% to 26% depending on the client's final specification. HON will provide final documentation of recycled content of the client's final order per LEED-CI template.

Manufactured Regionally - MR Credit 5.1
Intent: Furniture manufactured within 500-mile radius of the jobsite.

Extracted and Manufactured Regionally - MR Credit 5.2
Intent: Furniture extracted, harvested, recovered, or manufactured within 500-mile radius of the jobsite.

Capability: HON products are manufactured in Muscatine, Iowa 52761, Cedartown, Georgia 30125, Florence, Alabama 35633.

Rapidly Renewable Materials – MR Credit 6.0
Intent:  Use material and product made from plants that mature in 10 years or less to decrease impact on forests and longer life cycle plants.

Capability:  The HON Company can provide Initiate with Nature Core.  Nature Core is used inside the panel for tackability and acoustical control and is made from an annually renewable crop called kenaf.  Initiate with Nature Core can contribute to this credit area.

Environmental Quality

Low-Emitting Materials, Systems Furniture and Seating - EQ Credit 4.5
Strategy: Meet requirements of Table 1, LEED-CI Reference Manual page 322

Capability: HON workstations and most seating lines have been tested and independently certified as meeting LEED-CI EQ Credit 4.5 Option C. Clients should be aware that the LEED-CI indoor air quality evaluation process utilizes a standard workstation configuration. In practice, the wide range of options in worksurface and tile materials available for client selection often leads to a combination of materials which differs from the standard workstation used in the certification process.

HON will provide certification compliance with LEED-CI EQ Credit 4.5 as required by LEED-CI template. HON will also, if requested, assist the client in selecting material options with low environmental impact.
 

PROVING WHAT WE SAY. 

 

 

The HON Company is among the first manufacturers to receive certification for products under the level™ certification program ensuring compliance with the BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard.

Developed in response to the increasing demand for proof that manufacturers are living up to their environmental claims, BIFMA’s e3 Sustainability Standard provides measurable market-based definitions of progressively more sustainable furniture.

The market is flooded with environmental marketing claims. Often the claims are hard to understand and difficult to link to actual product performance.  The BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard provides a common set of metrics for measuring the environmental aspects of office furniture; and a common language for reporting performance to end users.

The BIFMA e3 Sustainability Standard establishes performance criteria in four key areas of sustainability:
1. Material and Resources
2. Energy and Atmosphere
3. Human and Ecosystem Impact
4. Social Responsibility

In June 2009, Initiate and Abound panel systems achieved level certification.

In 2010, The HON Company has received level 2 certification for 60 product lines. That means more than 80 percent of our product volume has earned this important certification.


GROWING NEW IDEAS.

Office furniture manufacturers typically use some form of acoustical control material within systems furniture panels. The HON Company has developed an environmentally friendly alternative.  We call it Nature Core™ fiberboard.

Nature Core™ is a non-woven composite material made up of a blend of natural and synthetic fibers.  The natural fiber is called kenaf, which is derived from an annually renewable plant related to cotton and okra.  It's a remarkably fast-growing plant, rising to heights of 12-14 feet in as little as four to five months, and it can yield six to ten tons of dry fiber per acre, year after year.

The HON Company was the first manufacturer to render kenaf suitable for panel system use.  The kenaf fibers are combined with synthetic fibers and processed into roll goods.  The roll goods are treated with our patented smoke-and flame-retardant applications to ensure the finished product meets UL Class "A" fire rating.

Nature Core™ Fiberboard Highlights:
Kenaf fibers are annually renewable
No formaldehyde is added
Fire retardant materials are natural and meet UL Class "A" fire rating
Structural performance that adds more durability to the panel system
Sound blocking characteristics (STC) exceeding BIFMA standards for a more acoustic friendly environment
Tackable surface for a more efficient workplace

Nature Core™ Fiberboard Product Availability and Updates:
Initiate® tackable panels built with Nature Core fiberboard, used in combination with low-emitting worksurfaces, allow Initiate to be the first panel system to meet the requirements for Indoor Advantage™ Gold certification.
Nature Core fiberboard is now being offered in all Initiate tackable panels.
At present all worksurfaces are low-emitting.

DOWNLOAD NATURE CORE FACT SHEET (PDF)

CLEARING THE AIR.

In 2006, The HON Company became the world's first office furniture manufacturer to have products certified by the Indoor Advantage™ program. Virtually all manufactured products emit chemical compounds into the air. Indoor Advantage evaluates these compounds to help improve the air quality within enclosed indoor environments.

Developed by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), Indoor Advantage program certifies that products meet the emission limits specified by BIFMA's Furniture Emission standards. Further, Indoor Advantage tests individual components as well as overall assemblies, and provides detailed analysis of a comprehensive range of chemicals rather than a simple pass/fail for only the most common. This enables us to help our suppliers reduce the environmental impact of their products and processes, too.

SCS offers two levels of certification relating to indoor air quality:
  • Indoor Advantage™ certifies conformance with LEED-CI criteria for EQ4.5, as well as BIFMA X7.1 Low-Emitting Furniture and Seating.
  • Indoor Advantage Gold™ certifies additional conformance with California 01350 Special Environmental Requirements and Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS).

For the most current list of certified HON furniture, please visit hon.com/sustainability.

Indoor Advantage Gold Certified Products:
Workstations
- Initiate® Panel Systems - Initiate® workstations constructed with Nature Core™ fiberboard and low emitting worksurfaces.

Storage & Files
- Select Metal Storage and Files (Exceptions include ETA Storage Cabinets and 800, 700, 600, 500, &  400 Series Laterals)

Chairs
- 1080 Series Stacking Chairs
- 24 Hour Chairs (77X4 Series)
- 2400 Series Seating
- 2900 Series Seating
- 370 Series Seating
- 4051 Multi-Purpose Chair
- 4700 Mobius
- 5400 Series Seating
- 6540 Series Seating
- 6550 Series Seating
- 7700 Series Seating
- 7800 Series Seating
- Alaris™ Seating (4220 Series)
- Allure™ Seating (3300 Series)
- Cambia™ (2160 Series)
- ComforTask® (5900 Series)
- Convera™
- Convergence® Contemporary Seating (4900 series)
- Every-Day® Chair (7900 Series)
- F3™ Series Seating
- Gamut® Seating (2070 Series)
- GuestStacker® (4030 Series)
- High Density Olson Stacker® (4040 Series)
- Invitation® (2110 Series)
- Ignition™ Series Seating
- Jackson (6570 Series)
- Laurus™
- MirusTM Seating
- Nucleus™
- Olson Series
- Pagoda® (4070 Series)
- Park Avenue Collection® (5000 Series)
- Perpetual® Seating (4300 Series, 4320 Series, PN Series)
- Pillow-Soft™ Seating (2190 Series)
- Proficiency™ 4-Leg Chairs (H101X Series)
- Pyramid™ Seating (3500 Series)
- Resolution® Seating (6200 Series)
- Riley™
- Sensible Seating® (6000 Seating)
- Solutions Seating® (4000 Series)
- Tiempo® Seating (4600 Series)
- Unanimous® (7600 Series)
- ValuTask® (5831 Series)
- Volt® (5721, 5723, 5725 ONLY)
 
Tables
- Huddle™ Multi-purpose Tables (For all Huddle components except knife edge table tops.)

Education
- Accomplish™ Classroom Furniture 
- SmartLink™ Classroom Furniture

Indoor Advantage Certified Products:
Lateral Files
- 800, 700, 600, 500, & 400 Series Laterals

Laminate Casegoods Workstations
- Park Avenue Collection®
- Valido™ Series
- 10500 Series
- 10600 Series
- 10700 Series
- 94000 Series
- Attune™ Collection

Seating
- Pagoda® (4091, 4099 ONLY)

Workstations
- Abound™ System
- Initiate™ Panel System

Indoor Advantage is a trademark of Scientific Certification Systems. level is a trademark of BIFMA.  LEED and Green Building Rating Systems are registered trademarks of USGBC.

 

Environmental Data Sheets
Desks
- Steel Desks
- Veneer Casegoods
- Vicinity™ Columns
- Vicinity™ Laminate Worksurface
- Laminate Casegoods
- Voi Steel Components
- Voi Wood Components

Education
- Stack Chair, Accomplish™ & Proficiency™ Student Chairs
- SmartLink™ & Proficiency™ Student Desk
- SmartLink™ Modular Storage
- SmartLink™ Teacher's Desk

Seating
- Environmental Data Sheet Lookup Seating
- Executive Upholstered Chair
- F3™
- Mirus™ Guest Chair
- Mirus™ Work Chair
- Non-Wood Guest Upholstered Chair
- Wood Executive Upholstered Chair
- Wood Guest Upholstered Chair
- Task Chair
- Ignition™ Guest Chair
- Ignition™ Lounge Seating
- Ignition™ Upholstered Swivel Chair
- HB03 Versant®
- HCB50 Versant®
- HCT01 Versant®
- HCT02 Versant®
- HCT03 Versant®
- HCT04 Versant®
- HCT12 Versant®
- HCT13 Versant®
- HCT303 Versant®
- HCT90 Versant®
- HCT313 Versant®
- HR01 Versant®
- HR02 Versant®
- HR03 Versant®
- HR12 Versant®
- HR13 Versant®
- HR33 Versant®
- HR43 Versant®
- HR50 Versant®
- Ignition™ Mesh Swivel Chair
- Convera™
- Laurus™
- Riley™
- Nucleus™ Guest
- Nucleus™ Swivel
- Ceres Guest Mesh
- Ceres Guest Upholstered
- Ceres Mesh Swivels - Aluminum Finish
- Ceres Mesh Swivels EDS
- Ceres Upholstered Swivels

Storage
- Laterals - 19-1/4" Deep
- Steel Storage
- Vicinity™ Laminate Storage
- Vicinity™ Steel Storage

Tables
- Tables
- Tables Products
- Huddle™ Table Bases
- Huddle™ Edgeband or T-mold Worksurface
- Huddle™ Modesty Panel
- Huddle™ Table Knife Edge
- Preside™ Knife Edge
- Preside™ Laminate Base
- Preside™ Laminate Hollow Panel and Curved Base
- Preside™ Laminate Rail
- Preside™ Laminate Tops EB or Tmold
- Preside™ Metal Base
- Preside™ Metal Beam
- Preside™ Veneer Base
- Preside™ Veneer Tops

Workstations
- Abound™ Fabric Tile
- Abound™ Frame
- Initiate®

Disassembly Instructions
Abound
- Abound™

Ceres
- Ceres™ Guest Chair - Armless
- Ceres™ Guest Chair - Fixed Arms
- Ceres™ Task Chair

Guest Seating
- Guest Seating

Initiate®
- Initiate®

Laminate Casegoods
- Laminate Casegoods

Nucleus
- Nucleus™ Guest Chair
- Nucleus™ Swivel Chair

Preside
- Preside™ Hollow Panel
- Preside™ Panel Bases

SmartLink
- SmartLink™ Modular Storage
- SmartLink™ Student Desk
- SmartLink™ Wall Rail System

Steel Desks
- Steel Desks

Steel Storage
- Steel Storage

Tables
- Tables

Task/Executive Seating
- Task/Executive Seating