Sustainable Design

Sustainable design considers the social, economic and environmental impact of business on people and the planet to develop processes and products that protect our future. For nearly 40 years, Knoll has acted on our commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacture of products for the workplace. We have established ambitious standards and we measure our performance against them.

Knoll is an industry pioneer in advocating for, and submitting our products to, independent third-party certification. We believe that respected third parties provide the most impartial and trustworthy foundation for broad compliance.

Knoll Office, KnollStudio, KnollTextiles, Edelman Leather & Spinneybeck | Filzfelt have a presence in mindful MATERIALS, an online library that contains aggregated information on human health and environmental impacts for products from leading manufacturers. Click here to preview Knoll Office.

Ecomedes

Knoll has a presence in ecomedes, an online resource that contains product-level data and automated product performance calculations that can help contribute to sustainability goals, including product specific environmental certifications. Using ecomedes, designers, architects, and customers can swiftly sort by category, or popular standards and certifications like LEED or WELL.

Click HERE to view Knoll on ecomedes, and see below to learn more about certifications.

Environmental Product Declarations

Certified by NSF Certification, LLC, environmental product declarations (EPDs) rely on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to provide information on a number of environmental impacts of products over their life cycle. EPDs do not indicate that any environmental or social performance benchmarks are met, and there may be impacts that they do not encompass.

Sherwin-Williams Company & Powdura Eco Paint

Sherwin-Williams Company is a leader in manufacturing, developing and distributing paint, coatings and related products. In April 2021, Knoll introduced Powdura® Eco Powder Coatings, a Sherwin-Williams coating. The Powdura Eco formulation, which includes 25% pre-consumer recycled content, replicates the aesthetic appearance of the predecessor material while reducing product embodied carbon. Going forward, Knoll plans to utilize the Powdura Eco technology for a majority of its powder coatings needs.

U.S. Green Building Council^® & LEED

The USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating system is the accepted benchmark in North America for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Knoll is aligned with the USGBC and can help companies, governmental agencies, healthcare organizations and educational institutions achieve LEED certification. Many of our products are eligible for LEED credits and can contribute to LEED certification; we publish environmental databases for all Knoll systems and seating products.
 

level^® Certification

The level standard is a voluntary product standard developed by BIFMA, the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association, to support safe, healthy and sustainable workplace environments. The program establishes prerequisites, requires third party certification including audits of manufacturing plants and mandates annual reviews to maintain certifications. Certification is awarded at three levels: Entry level 1 (32-44 points); level 2 (45-62 points) and level 3 (63 -100 points).
 

Living Building Challenge & Declare

Living Building Challenge

The International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge (LBC) is a rigorous design framework used to create built environments that positively impact human and natural systems. It encourages the design of healthy and beautiful spaces. Natural light, fresh air, healthy food, exposure to nature, integration with the surrounding community, and a focus on energy neutrality are integral elements of the program.

The Living Building Challenge is organized into seven performance areas known as Petals. Each Petal is further subdivided into Imperatives, which address specific issues through detailed requirements. The Knoll constellation of products contributes to Imperatives under several LBC Petals. For example:

• Health & Happiness Petal - Imperative 8: Healthy Interior Environment and Imperative 9: Biophilic Design
• Materials Petal - Imperative 10: Red List and Imperative 12: Responsible Industry<

Declare

Declare is a labeling program administered by the International Living Future Institute in support of Living Building Challenge projects. The label is a materials transparency platform and associated database that provides consumers with an at-a-glance reference for where a product is made, what it contains, and options for end-of-life disposal. Knoll is dedicated to achieving Declare labeling for our products.

WELL^TM

The International WELL Building Institute’s WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) is a set of performance standards and research-backed strategies created to advance human health, happiness, and productivity in built environments. The WELL requirements are separated into ten Concepts that address various influences on well-being: Air, Water, Nourishment, Light, Fitness, Temperature, Sound, Materials, Mind and Community. Knoll products can help clients meet a wide range of WELL credit requirements. Some of these include, but are not limited to:

• Hazardous Material Reduction: Limit Hazardous Materials (Newly Installed Furnishings and Furniture)
• Enhanced Material Precaution: Select Optimized Materials
• Active Furnishings: Provide Active Workstations (Sit Stand Desks)
• Visual and Physical Ergonomics: Support Visual Ergonomics, Ensure Desk Height Flexibility, and Ensure Seat Flexibility
• Volatile Compound Reduction: Manage Volatile Organic Compounds (Halogenated Flame Retardants and Urea-Formaldehyde)
• Long-Term Emission Control: Manage Furniture & Furnishings Emissions
• Material Transparency: Promote Ingredient Disclosures

GREENGUARD^®

UL GREENGUARD ensures that products meet rigorous chemical emissions standards, helping reduce indoor air pollution. Some KnollTextiles products have received the UL GREENGUARD certification.

Forest Stewardship Council^®

The Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) is the international standard setting organization for defining and measuring a well-managed forest and providing traceability though a chain of custody certification. Knoll FSC certification (FSC® C028824) ensures that Knoll products bearing the FSC mark are manufactured with wood from forests that protect environmental, social and economic values. FSC principles represent the industry’s most rigorous standards of forest stewardship.

Our FSC Certified Standard Program covers all Knoll Office general office plan open systems, casegoods and tables. The standard applies to the core of all Knoll products with laminate and domestic cherry, maple, oak and walnut.

Full Circle^®

As a result of furnishing projects, there is often a significant quantity of no-longer-needed facility assets that require de- commissioning. The Knoll Full Circle Program can help do so in an economically, socially and environmentally responsible way. Full Circle is the first program in the contract furniture industry to provide comprehensive, integrated services for surplus furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). Full Circle includes the traditional buy-back and re-selling of FF&E assets as a first alternative, but also includes repurposing, recycling and avoiding landfills through Energy-from-Waste conversion options for those assets that may not have re-sale value. Learn More

Intertek Sustainability

Intertek’s Clean Air Certification validates the level of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from products. VOCs are gases emitted from products and include a variety of chemicals that may affect consumers’ health in the short- and long-term. Both Intertek Clean Air GOLD and SILVER certifications ensure the user-health, safety and sustainability of Knoll products. A selection of Knoll Office, KnollStudio, and KnollTextiles products are Intertek certified Clean Air, most of which are certified GOLD, which imposes more rigorous standards than certified SILVER.

Certified Clean Air GOLD

• USGBC LEED credits
• California 01350 Special Environmental Requirements (CDPH)
• California Department of General Service (DGS)Indoor Air Quality Specifications for Open Panel Office Furniture
• Compliant to BIFMA e3 standard credit 7.6.2 and 7.6.3

Certified Clean Air SILVER

• US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria IEQ credits (furniture and seating)
• Compliant to BIFMA e3 standard credit 7.6.1