Steelcase Think(R) Chair Achieves Highest Level(TM) Certification to New BIFMA e3...

Steelcase Think(R) Chair Achieves Highest Level(TM) Certification to New BIFMA
e3 Standard

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Steelcase Think(R)
chair has received level(TM) 3 certification to the new Business and
Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA) e3 sustainability
standard. Think was independently certified by Scientific Certification
Systems (SCS). Level(TM) 3 certification is the highest level of achievement
possible in this BIFMA certification program.

Manufacturers can only achieve level(TM) certification from a participating
third party, such as SCS, which meets rigorous level(TM) criteria for
certification bodies and assesses products against the specified BIFMA
standard. The e3 standard represents BIFMA's first multi-attribute
sustainability standard specifically for furniture.

BIFMA gathered a diverse group of stakeholders to help develop the
sustainability standard to distinguish environmentally preferable business and
institutional furniture. The standard has multiple conformance levels, i.e.
levels 1, 2, or 3 with level(TM) 3 being the highest. Products are certified
using a point system that encompasses both product and facility
characteristics and environmentally-friendly corporate policies.

"This is an outstanding achievement that honors the strong sustainability
design aspects of Think and is a reflection of Steelcase's commitment to
designing for the environment," said Jim Keane, president, Steelcase North
America. "No other chair has been so carefully considered with regard to its
impact on the environment in all stages of product lifecycle. The steps taken
during the development of Think have led the way for other products."

"Steelcase's ability to achieve level(TM) 3 certification is a testament to
their longstanding commitment to sustainability and sustainable product
design," Tom Reardon, executive director, BIFMA noted. "It is no simple
achievement."

"It's gratifying to see how all of our work in materials chemistry, life cycle
assessment and end of life strategies for our products contributed to this
level(TM) 3 certification," Keane noted. "All of our future level(TM) product
certifications will build on our longstanding sustainable product development
and business practices."

The Think chair is a high performance chair that was designed for people and
the environment. During its development, Steelcase documented the lifecycle
impacts of Think from its raw material state through manufacturing processes
to end of life. Weighing only 32 pounds, Think uses less material than
comparable chairs. It disassembles in five minutes with common hand tools, is
comprised of up to 37 percent recycled content, and is up to 98 percent
recyclable at end of life.

In addition to Think, Steelcase also announced level(TM) certification for its
Leap(R), Move(R), Amia(R), and Siento(R) seating, Answer(R) system, and
Universal storage products.

About Steelcase Inc.
Steelcase provides furniture, services and insights to help people have a
better work experience, and to help companies and organizations create
inspiring spaces with a maximum impact on performance and a minimum impact on
the environment. A Michigan-based company that has been serving customers for
nearly a century, Steelcase leads the global office furniture industry with
$3.2 billion in annual revenue (FY09). Learn more at www.steelcase.com.

SOURCE Steelcase Inc.

Sara Whitman, +1-212-931-6121, swhitman@peppercom.com, for Steelcase Inc.