Therefore, Haworth, one of the leaders among the office solutions producers, played an active role in developing a unitary guide for the office furniture evaluation at European level.
The new program, named „level”, which aims the certification of the office furniture sustainability, will be implemented by the end of 2015 and will eliminate the need of the producers and clients to cooperate with multiple brands in Europe, offering the certitude of using products with low impact over the environment. Haworth has participated closely to the development of this sustainability standard which was introduced by the European Federation of Office Furniture (EFOF) in the first quarter of 2014.
The new sustainability standard includes criteria stipulated by the national legislations and instructions regarding public acquisitions in Europe. These evaluate the product, the space where the production is taking place, as well as the producer during an entire year, considering social and environment criteria. The sustainability standard includes four categories: Materials, Energy and Atmosphere, Human Health and Ecosystem Health, as well as Social Responsibility, and the awards which could be obtained are: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3, the last being the top green award.
„We are very pleased by the development of the European sustainability standard, which will help us improving the efficiency and the communication. Moreover, we are extremely happy that the European Federation of Office Furniture intends to implement the certification program by the end of 2015”, has declared Bianca Doenicke, European EHS & Sustainability department manager within Haworth.
The new sustainability standard was developed by a group of experts made of the worldwide office furniture association representatives, as well as by the representatives of the certification associations and the furniture producers involved in thus project for the last years.
Haworth has actively participated at the entire process and provided two of its products for testing the accessibility and feasibility of the standard in the incipient phase. Both the archive system collection „Vados” and the working chair „Comforto 89 – Zody chair” were evaluated by third parties and obtained “Level 3” certifications.
„The „level” certification is basically a natural sequel of the programs aiming the evaluation of the space where the companies are working. Therefore, these could offer now to the employees not only the certitude of a healthy and ecologic work environment, but they could add to the list of assets carefully selected furniture items, in compliance with the European environment standards”, added Iuliana Carata, General Manager Techno Office. (source: Techno Office)
