Herman Miller Eames Soft Pad Ottoman

Herman Miller is and has always been one of the most impressive companies in America when it comes to conservation, environmental initiative, and clean, responsible production. With every product they make, new and old, they continue to push toward a greater goal of total energy independence, the elimination of all waste, especially hazardous waste, and the dramatic reduction of their environmental "footprint." Whether they're re-tooling the Eames Soft Pad Chairs to make them easier to recycle or retro-fitting their building with energy efficient light bulbs and machinery, they're always doing their best to keep the environment safe.

At Smart Furniture, we really respect that, and we also feel a kindred spirit. One of the many reasons why choose to partner with Herman Miller and sell their products online is because we see eye to eye on the importance of being an environmentally safe and responsible company. Herman Miller feels the same way about us; they make it a policy never to work with vendors who don't share their commitment, or who don't take every opportunity they have to be safer, cleaner, and less wasteful. Every step of the way, from production of the Eames Soft Pad Chair in Herman Miller factories, to the shipping of the same chair from our warehouse in Chattanooga, TN, our two companies take every step to lessen the environmental impact of designing, building, selling, and shipping a product.

Herman Miller has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to environmental issues. One of the main reasons that remains true today is that they set ambitious goals for themselves, and then commit to actually achieving them. It takes hard work, forward thinking and an almost artistic creativity to make an older product like the Eames Soft Pad Chair as safe as it can be, but all of those are qualities that have never been lacking at Herman Miller.

The most recent, and the most wide-ranging, of their environmental initiatives is called Design for the Environment. Referred to within the company (both in the offices and in the official documents available online) as DfE, the policies laid out within have guided the company inexorably toward a fully functional and totally green operation by the year 2020. The lastest policy, called "Perfect Vision," has laid out some of the most ambitious goals yet. Again, they are all meant to be met by the year 2020. Remember that these goals apply even to classical furniture like the Eames Soft Pad Chairs:

• Zero landfill
• Zero hazardous waste generation
• Zero air emissions (VOC)
• Zero process water use
• 100 percent green electrical energy use
• Company buildings constructed to a minimum LEED Silver certification
• 100 percent of sales from DfE-approved products

The first goal, zero landfill, is going to be one of the hardest to achieve. Landfills are real burdens on the environment because they are often filled with plastics and other non-biodegradable materials. Not to mention that they are, of course, immense amounts of garbage trapped under land. The odor, the damage, and the difficulty of breaking down waste all make landfills a headache. But Herman Miller is making progress. Over the last few decades, the amount of landfill generated by Herman Miller has been cut drastically. Every year it shrinks at an exponential rate, and ten years from now, it will be totally gone. That's something to celebrate.

The Eames Soft Pad Chair has been made easy to recycle and therefore not likely to end up in landfill. Most of the chair is recyclable, and needs only to be sifted into component parts when the user has decided it's time to part ways for good (though the chairs are very durable and this day should be well ahead in the future). Even though the chair was debuted four decades ago, the designers and builders are Herman Miller were able to update it without changing the look or anything material to it's classic standing.

As consumers, it's important to make responsible choices when you buy products like office chairs. In the marketplace, dollars are the voters, and every dollar that goes toward a green enterprise is a dollar other manufacturers will try and follow, and earn for themselves. When a company is responsible, it's not just good for the environment; it's good for them, and it's good for the business world as a whole.

The Eames Soft Pad Chair is just one of the many comfortable, stylish, beautiful, and creative products that Herman Miller has to offer. But they all have something in common; you can feel good when you buy them, because they came from one of the more responsible green companies in the business. Smart Furniture and Herman Miller are very proud to bring you the best in green furniture, green shipping, and green business. Buy your chairs today.

Herman Miller is an industry leader in the integration of cutting edge technology to furniture and other household items to make everyday life more comfortable, convenient, and stylish. Herman Miller stands out at the forefront of such fields as ergonomic technologies, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, and customizable furniture items.

In addition to producing some of the most outstanding office furniture in the world, Herman Miller has also taken on the responsibility of manufacturing some of the most celebrated furniture designs by some of the world's most famous designs. These "modern classics" include works by Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Isamu Noguchi. Herman Miller celebrates these famous mid-century designers' works through its extraordinarily precise manufacturing techniques and industry-leading green production processes.

Herman Miller is a global company with operations, sales offices, dealers, and licensees in more than 40 countries in North America, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, serving customers virtually anywhere in the world. Herman Miller is headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan, while manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., China, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

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