MillerKnoll is the First Office Furniture Manufacturer to Announce Elimination of PFAS from North American Brand Portfolio of Products

News provided by

Dec 12, 2024, 12:31 ET

Building on recent Chemical Footprint Project recognition and legacy as a safe chemistry leader.

ZEELAND, Mich., Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- MillerKnoll, a global design leader, announces that from May 2025 all North American products from the collective of brands will be free of any added per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") ^¹, making MillerKnoll the first office furniture manufacturer to make this commitment. PFAS are substances also known as 'forever chemicals' that do not breakdown easily, making them problematic for the environment.

"At MillerKnoll, our products meet or exceed global PFAS regulations, but we are dedicated to setting the pace in creating products and spaces that go beyond minimum safety standards," said Gabe Wing, Vice President of Sustainability at MillerKnoll. "Today we have very little inventory that includes added PFAS. We're committing to not adding any PFAS to our products in North America from May of next year and to extend this commitment globally by fiscal year 2027 ahead of future regulations^¹."

By committing to remove 'forever chemicals' like PFAS from products and integrating criteria for safer alternatives into design and safety processes, MillerKnoll aims to exceed consumer expectations and meet increasing regulatory demands for chemical transparency.

This significant step comes on the heels of MillerKnoll being named a Frontrunner and Disclosure Leader in the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) Report, by Clean Production Action for its work in 2023. CFP assesses, through a specially designed survey, where businesses are on their journey beyond regulatory compliance to manufacturing, distributing, and selling safer products. Frontrunners are top scorers who achieved 80 or more points in the survey and Disclosure Leaders share both their survey score and responses.

A Legacy of Safe Chemistry
MillerKnoll brands have led the way in setting and exceeding safe chemistry standards.

In 1978, Knoll was among the first in the industry to reduce air emissions and ozone depletion.
In 1988, Herman Miller adopted water-based adhesives and powder paint.
In 1984, Knoll set a goal to eliminate volatile organic compounds ("VOCs") from all manufacturing operations, and two years later it achieved near complete removal of metal coating VOCs.
In 2008, Herman Miller implemented water-based veneer finish.
In 2013, Canvas Office Landscape wall-based workspaces became polyvinyl chloride ("PVC")-free.
In 2016, Herman Miller was the first office furniture company to eliminate flame retardants from task seating products.
By 2019, Herman Miller had eliminated all methylene chloride blowing agents from its supply chain long before any regulations targeted this chemical.
In 2023, Maharam was recognized for its work in eliminating added PFAS from its products by BuildingGreen. Maharam first began to question the use of PFAS over a decade ago, leading it to co-author a third-party study with the Green Science Policy Institute that objectively evaluated the long-held performance rationale of PFAS.

Chemical Footprint Project Recognition
The Chemical Footprint Project Survey evaluates performance across four pillars of chemical safety: management strategy, chemical inventory, footprint measurement, and disclosure and verification. Through the release of both their survey score and responses, Disclosure Leaders demonstrate their willingness to publicly release where they are on the journey to safer chemicals.

This year marks the first time MillerKnoll has been recognized by the CFP, underscoring the company's commitment to cleaner chemistry and creating healthy and sustainable products and spaces. Herman Miller was recognized three times prior to the company's acquisition of Knoll in 2021.

In addition to MillerKnoll, this year's Frontrunners are Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Grove Collaborative, Clorox, Ecolab, Humanscale, Naturepedic, Reckitt, Beautycounter, Case Medical, and HP. Joining MillerKnoll as a Disclosure Leader are the nine Frontrunners as well as BD, Rite Aid, GOJO, and Radio Flyer.

About MillerKnoll
MillerKnoll is a collective of dynamic brands that comes together to design the world we live in. The MillerKnoll brand portfolio includes Herman Miller, Knoll, Colebrook Bosson Saunders, DatesWeiser, Design Within Reach, Edelman, Geiger, HAY, HOLLY HUNT, Knoll Textiles, Maharam, Muuto, NaughtOne, and Spinneybeck|FilzFelt. MillerKnoll is an unparalleled platform that redefines modern for the 21st century by building a more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful future for all.

About Clean Production Action
Clean Production Action is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to design and deliver strategic solutions for green chemicals, sustainable materials, and environmentally preferable products. We are a solutions organization. Our tools, GreenScreen^® for Safer Chemicals and Chemical Footprint Project, simplify the complexity of substituting chemicals of concern to human health and the environment with green chemistry solutions. Our collaborations, BizNGO and Investor Environmental Health Network, provide effective platforms for practitioners and thought leaders to work together in advancing chemicals, materials, products, and systems that are healthy for people and the planet.

^¹MillerKnoll will not add PFAS to any products, excluding electrical components, protective stone coating, Ethospace and Pixel pneumatic cylinders, and existing inventory.

SOURCE MillerKnoll