Mark McIntyre
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Chris Laszlo
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Steelcase is a global office furniture company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since its founding in 1912, Steelcase has increasingly become more environmentally conscious. This has been demonstrated by the company’s implementation of energy and water conservation and waste reduction methods, for example in the design and creation of the Amia chair.
According to Mr. Georges Roux, who is an architect, workplace expert, and sales consultant at Steelcase, "the Amia chair is not just office furniture but it is an office idea." Through its design, it promotes comfort and user effectiveness. By allowing employees to work in comfort, they can perform more effectively. By working more effectively, employees can be more productive for the company. As such, the Amia chair is a tool for workplace success. However, it is not just its function that adds to the uniqueness of the product but also the intricacies of its life cycle.
The Steelcase Corporation believes that people are at the heart of what they create. As such, Steelcase is dedicated to combining conservation and innovation to create sustainable products for a sustainable future. For example, the Amia chair contains no hazardous or dangerous materials and uses a minimal amount of materials, thus aiding eco-friendliness. Packaging was reduced in volume and weight, which requires less energy for shipping. In addition to being comfortable, the Amia chair was designed to last longer than most conventional chairs. Additional modifications make for ease of assembly, disassembly, and repair. Finally, the Amia chair is 97% recyclable by weight. These things contribute to Steelcase’s overall conservation mission.
Thus, with conservation and innovation serving a the basis of the Steelcase Corporation, it has been able to create sustainable products for over a century.
The inspiration for the Amia chair comes from the desire to create an efficient yet comfortable work environment. As previously stated, the Amia chair is designed as an ergonomic chair. Its function is to provide optimum comfort while avoiding unnecessary stress or injury. In doing so the Amia chair enables workers to be more efficient, which in turn produces a more efficient company.
At the core of the Steelcase value system lies integrity, promotion of dignity and respect, and protecting the environment. These values reinforce their core beliefs that business and communities are inextricably linked, positive usage of company assets can create world change, transparency should be maintained, and sustainability is the lens for innovation and economic fitness.
Steelcase is a corporation that has consistently demonstrated its ability to survive in an ever changing market. In order to survive, they have had to adapt by combining the needs of the corporation with that of society. Thus, Steelcase has been able to produce a number of environmentally friendly products. The Amia chair is one example of corporate needs meeting societal concerns. The life cycle of the Amia chair is innovative in its approach with its emphasis on environmental and resource conservation, which enables the company to answer many societal concerns surrounding the environment. In doing so, Steelcase has left a positive impact on both the environment and community and has become a leader in the implementation of sustainable business and manufacturing processes with emphasis on environmental conservation. And as a result, Steelcase has insured that they will continue to be a major player in the manufacturing of innovated office furniture.
According to Mr. Roux, “Workplace design consists of thinking at a high level about what should be produced with the help of people. We first need to observe, interview, and synthesize. Once done, we deliver the solution.” The Amia chair was produced to fit into the optimal workplace design. The business benefit of the chair is a more comfortable and stress free work environment. A stress free workplace allows for optimal productivity from employees. It also develops trust between a corporation and consumers through heeding their environmental concerns. The benefits achieved by this cooperation help establish a loyal consumer base, which increases revenue. The increase in revenue enables Steelcase to invest in developing sustainable products that protect the environment, increase consumer happiness, and manage energy in a sustainable way.
UN Global Goals, Goal #12, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns for companies. The life cycle of the Amia chair employs several sustainable consumption practices, which include no hazardous materials used during production, recyclable parts, and long product life.
By considering the environment while producing products, Steelcase directly contributes to the benefit of both society and the environment.
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Georges Roux, Workplace Manager
