Introducing the World’s Most Sustainable Task Chair
For years, Humanscale has been designing ergonomic office furniture. They strive to make furniture that improves the comfort of work-life. For Humanscale, good design means offering customers more with less. Longevity, function, simplicity, and sustainability are the pillars of their design philosophy.
The aim of the Humanscale team is to bring innovative designs to life using materials that are sustainable, creating a Net Positive impact. This innovative group has just released, what they are calling the world’s most sustainable task chair, the Path Chair.
The Path Chair represents a new path forward. Each chair incorporates over 10 lbs. of ocean reclaimed and ocean-bound plastic. These materials are collected within 25 miles of our planet’s coastlines, protecting deep oceans and fragile coastal ecosystems. When Humanscale set out to create the world’s most sustainable task chair, they put forward four guiding principles to guide their product development process.
Healthy Materials
For Humanscale, creating a ground-breaking product begins with sourcing the right materials. It was their goal to exceed the conventional and overused concept of net zero manufacturing and to strive for net positive processes. In other words, they set out to make a chair that actually has a net positive impact on our global ecosystem.
The Path Chair incorporates reclaimed ocean plastic, ocean-bound plastic, industrial plastic waste, and a variety of recycled mixed metals into nearly every part and component of the chair.
Material Transparency
It is all too common for manufacturing companies to greenwash their processes with clever marketing and lightweight catchphrases and sound bites. Humanscale, on the other hand, backs up all of its claims of sustainability with rigorous documentation that is always made publicly available.
The Level Third Party Certification by BIMFA
Level Certification is a multi-stakeholder manufacturers evaluation and certification process created to measure environmentally friendly and socially responsible office furniture manufacturing processes. The certification process evaluates materials, chemicals, manufacturing processes, organizational commitments, and the well-being of employees involved in product production.
Humanscale makes these reports and certifications available to the public in order to demonstrate its commitment to the Earth, its employees, and its customers.
Sustainable Operations
How can we do manufacturing better? For, Humanscale, this is the first question in the product development cycle. A big part of the answer to this question is material sourcing. The back frame is made of post-industrial recycled plastic. Plastic waste is a by-product of many manufacturing processes. Humanscale uses recycled post-industrial waste to produce the back of the Path Chair. So, the production of the Path Chair reduces the impact of industrial processes. That’s pretty smart.
In addition to post-industrial plastic, Humanscale also uses a mix of post-industrial and post-consumer aluminum and steel. These materials are used to produce the arm support, the top plate, and the mechanism housing.
The Path Chair is not designed for obsolescence. In fact, every piece of the chair can be easily replaced. Instead of replacing a chair, a consumer can simply replace the worn-out part reducing demand for materials and consumer waste.
None of this would matter much if the chair wasn’t comfortable and ergonomically sound. But it is. The Path Chair is very comfortable and designed to support the body during long periods of seated work. The Gravity Mechanism technology automatically adjusts the recline support feature based on the individual’s body.
The Path Chair really checks all the boxes. If you are looking for a truly green solution and a top-notch ergonomic task chair, this might just be the last one you’ll ever need. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our incredible support team any time!
