Sayl Chair Environmental Summary

MBDC Cradle to Cradle Certified Greenguard Certified

Yves Behar was challenged to design a beautiful ergonomic chair that respected the environment. Yves Behar had what Oprah would call an "aha!' moment while attempting to complete this goal. While still in the brainstorming process of his design, Yves Behar had an eye opening thought. When designing the Chair, Yves Behar wondered if the engineering principles of a suspension bridge could be applied to the chair. As it turns out, they could.

Not only could these principles be applied to a chair, but using these principles to create a suspension tower to support an unframed back reduced materials, weight, and environmental impact. The fleeting thoughts of Yves Behar turned into the groundbreaking design of Herman Miller's newest office chair.

The flexible elastomers used in the back of the Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar can be stretched in a way that provides the greatest tension at points where most support is needed and allows the least in other areas to allow an expansive range of motion. The Sayl Chair allows the consumer to move without restriction while remaining comfortable and supported. Why isn't the Herman Miller Sayl Chair named ‘bridge' then? When looking at the Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar from the side there is a resemblance to a full mainsail. The name reflects the large and various sailing vessels that pass underneath the Golden Gate Bridge that inspired the original design for the Chair. So why name it Sayl Chair and not Sail Chair? Replacing the ‘I' with a ‘Y' was Yves Behar's way of nodding to his innovative Y Tower in the back of the Chair. Yves Behar thought out every part of the Herman Miller Sayl Chair and created a better and more intelligent chair that has created a whole new class of work and office chairs.

Herman Miller, Inc. is dedicated to minding the Earth. In 1953 the founder of Herman Miller, D.J. De Pree, declared that the company would be a good steward of the environment. Since that day, Herman Miller products, and therefore the Herman Miller Sayl chair, have been produced with environmentally friendly techniques. All furniture pieces created by Herman Miller, including the Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar and produced in a way that will leave the smallest carbon footprint possible. Herman Miller believes that the future and lasting quality of the human race is dependent on both economic vitality and healthy, sustainable natural environment.

Herman Miller sees these goals as inextricably linked goals. The future on mankind is dependent on its meeting its own needs of a growing population while continually enhancing the ecosystem that supports all life. The creators of the Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar continue to keep with their pledge to strive for an eco friendly company. Herman Miller has set many new goals for themselves to be accomplished by the year 2020. These goals include zero landfill, zero hazardous waste generation, zero air emissions, zero proves water use, 100 percent green electrical energy use, company buildings that are constructed to a minimum LEED Silver certification, and 100 percent of sales from DFE approved products. Herman Miller admits that as an international company with multiple manufacturing plants and office sights, maintaining their environmental standards can be a challenging task. How do they do it? When creating their furniture, including the Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar, the company has created an Environmental Quality Action Team.

The Environmental Quality Action Team is a cross functional committee of Herman Miller employees that sets Herman Miller's environmental direction and measures its results. The Environmental Quality Action Team was founded in 1989. In 1991, the team created Herman Miller's first formal environmental policy statement, which established their first ever environmental goal. That goal was zero landfill usage. Herman Miller tracks and reports on eight environmental strategies monthly. After a review of the environmental policies established at Herman Miller, the team created several support teams to help them carry out day to day tasks. They include:

Communications Team, responsible for making clear Herman Miller's environmental needs to internal and external groups.
Design for the Environment Team, responsible for developing environmentally sensitive design standards for new products within the company. The DFE Team collaborated with Yves Behar when he was designing the Chair.
Environmental Affairs Team, responsible for the company's compliance with external regulations. They also coordinate and assist other company wide initiatives. This team would make sure that the Chair complied with all external environmental regulations.
Green Buildings Team, responsible for constructing environmentally sounds facilities at Herman Miller.
ISO 14001 Team, responsible for maintaining continuous improvement of the Environmental Management System's 2020 goals for Herman Miller.
Environmental Low Impact Processing Group, this group is made up and a series of teams. With a team at each corporate site, this group is responsible for reducing the impact of manufacturing and office waste in their specific areas. The ideas generated by this group helped in the environmentally friendly production of the Chair.
Indoor Air Team, this team was created to supervise and advance the off gassing of Herman Miller's products.
Energy Reduction Team, the Energy Reduction Team is committed to the reduction of the amount of energy necessary to produce Herman Miller's products. The Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar was produced using the techniques cultivated by the Energy Reduction Team.
Packaging/Transport Team, this team is devoted to discovering ways to reduce the amount of packaging needed for incoming and outgoing products. The Chair is packaged using the least amount of product possible, which was made possible because of the efforts of this team.
Herman Miller Sayl Chairs are produced, displayed, and packaged in green buildings. Herman Miller's green buildings and the ideas behind them can be traced back to Herman Miller's founder, D.J. De Pree. De Pree mandated specific guidelines that would be used on all new Herman Miller buildings years ago that are still in effect today. Herman Miller has many LEED certified buildings and has even won a LEED Pioneer Award for their Greenhouse in Holland, Michigan. The buildings that are LEED certified for new construction and major renovations are Main Site C1 in Zeeland, Michigan, MarketPlace also in Zeeland, Michigan, and VillageGreen Building in Chippenham, England.

Buildings that are LEED certified for commercial interiors are Convia in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Design Yard Front Door in Holland, Michigan, Main Site BG in Zeeland, Michigan, Main Site B-West in Zeeland, Michigan, Main Site IT North in Zeeland, Michigan, Dallas Showroom in Dallas, Texas, Los Angeles Showroom, in Los Angeles, California, New York Showroom in New York, New York, Washington, D.C. Showroom in Washington, D.C., and Toronto Showroom in Toronto, Canada. The Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar was shown in each of these LEED certified showrooms around North America. The VillageGreen Building in Chippenham, England is also a BREEAM rated Herman Miller building. In addition to these LEED certified buildings, all of Herman Miller's West Michigan manufacturing sights and its Midwest Distribution Center, and the Design Yard are ISO 14001 certified.

All Herman Miller products, including the Chair by Yves Behar are designed to continue Herman Miller's journey towards sustainability. These products are designed with a consideration for the environment and the environmental impact that they will have. Herman Miller's products are designed with a long-term emphasis on durability, innovation, and quality. These long-term goals demonstrate how Herman Miller's designs have positively affected the environment for decades. Essentially, never having to get rid of your furniture means you never have to put it in a landfill. You will be able to use your Chair for decades.

The focus of Herman Miller's environmental department has slowly shifted into creating materials and feature in their new product design that are not only durable, but also environmentally friendly in and of themselves. The DFE Team mentioned above has pioneered this movement. The Herman Miller Sayl Chair by Yves Behar is one of many Herman Miller chairs that use these new materials. All future Herman Miller products will be evaluated within the rigorous standards of the McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry protocol. Herman Miller's goal is to ensure that all new Herman Miller products will help form pleasant working environments, while also respecting and defending mankind's natural environment.

Herman Miller claims that they are not in the business of winning awards, but this hasn't stopped them from doing so. In 2010 alone, Herman Miller won ten different awards and recognitions for their environmental work. They include:
- Herman Miller was included in NASDAQ OMX CRD Global Sustainability Index. Herman Miller was among their top 100 global companies achieving environmental sustainability.
- Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery named Herman Miller the recipient of the 2010 WasteWise Gold Achievement Award for Herman Miller's Green Purchasing.
- Herman Miller was one of 16 winners chosen in the Detroit Free Press' Michigan Green Leaders from more than 300 nominees.
- Herman Miller's GreenHouse was recognized as The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's top environmental performers. Herman Miller was given the Clean Corporate Citizen longevity award. This award recognized that Herman Miller's GreenHouse has maintained this C3 designation for five years.
- Herman Miller earned a LEED-CI Platinum certification for its Los Angeles Showroom.
- Herman Miller was awarded honorable mention for product stewardship by the Environmental Protection Agency's WasteWise Program.
- Herman Miller was selected as a Green Champion by Business Review West Michigan. This recognition was hailed from the publications' inaugural Green Awards, which honor companies as well as individuals who exemplify the spirit of sustainability and push the boundaries of green business.
- Herman Miller achieved its seventh consecutive placement on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.
- Setu chairs and Intent furniture received the MBDC Silver Cradle to Cradle certification.
- Herman Miller accepted its first Neighborhood Environmental Partners (NEP) award from the Michigan Department of Environmental Equality. The Neighborhood Environmental Partners award recognizes facilities or buildings and their community partners who have worked with each other to improve the environment in their own communities while also implementing ongoing environmental products.