by Rebecca Walker — February 2, 2009—Steelcase, a global office environments manufacturer, and the Institution Recycling Network (IRN), have joined forces to help organizations find environmentally responsible solutions for their unneeded office furniture.
Through Steelcase’s Environmental Partnership Program, previously owned office furniture is being matched with non-profit organizations around the globe.
“In the US and around the world, there’s tremendous need for furnishings to outfit schools, clinics, hospitals, businesses and homes that have been devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters,” said Mark Lennon, principal, IRN. “Because Steelcase is a major provider of higher education, healthcare and corporate environments, the partnership has been tremendously beneficial, allowing the organizations that work with us to make significant contributions to those that need it most.”
Donation recipients include US cities devastated by natural disasters and developing communities looking to build their infrastructures, which typically use the furniture to build schools, clinics and businesses.
Steelcase dealers and clients around the country are beginning to tap into the IRN partnership in similar projects, identifying specific furniture that matches non-profit needs in establishing or rebuilding hospitals, schools, and residential communities. Here in the U.S., large quantities of furniture are being directed to reconstruction projects in Texas following Hurricane Ike.
The Institution Recycling Network is a cooperative organization that works with over 125 colleges and universities, hospitals, private firms, public and private schools and state agencies to improve the performance and economics of their recycling programs. For more on Steelcase, see its Web site.
