by Brianna Crandall — January 5, 2015—The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) recently published a list of companies that sell office furniture made without toxic flame-retardant chemicals, based on its survey with HDR Architecture, reportedly the nation’s second-largest architectural design firm, of major national furniture producers. CEH also released the names of major corporations and government purchasers who have signed the CEH Purchaser’s Pledge to preferentially purchase furniture made without these toxic chemicals.
This movement by leading companies that collectively purchase more than $520 million of furniture annually continues the national trend towards safer products made without flame retardants, chemicals that are linked to cancer, birth defects, hormone disruption and other serious health problems, explains CEH. Flame-retardant chemicals have not been found to improve fire safety in furniture, but they can leach out of products and contaminate workplaces and homes. Studies have found toxic flame retardants in the bodies of virtually all Americans tested and in nearly all workplace environments tested.
CEH is also partnering with HDR Architecture to track office furniture makers’ progress on eliminating flame-retardant chemicals. HDR and CEH began surveying office furniture manufacturers in July 2014 and have identified 15 companies to date (see list below) that are now producing some or all of their office furniture products without harmful flame-retardant chemicals.
This year, new California furniture flammability standards came into effect, allowing companies for the first time in 40 years easy ways to meet the state standard without the use of harmful flame-retardant chemicals. But the new standard does not prohibit the use of chemical flame retardants. In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill (S. 1019), co-sponsored by CEH, that will require labeling to inform consumers when furniture contains toxic flame-retardant chemicals. The labeling rule is expected to go into effect for all furniture made for sale in California as of January 1, 2015; CEH expects many companies will include the labels on products sold nationwide.
Signers of the CEH Purchaser Pledge:
- Kaiser Permanente
- Dignity Health
- City of Portland
- Multnomah County
- Autodesk
- Healthy Building Science
- Kay Chesterfield
- Hackensack University Medical Center
- HDR Architecture
- San Francisco Department of Environment
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Genentech
- One Workplace
- Staples
- Perkins + Will
Office furniture companies that have removed ALL flame-retardant chemicals from their furniture:
- Andreu World
- Arcadia Contract
- Bretford
- David Edward Company
- Global/ GLOBALcare
- Humanscale
- Izzy+
- Neutral Posture
- OFS Brands
- Teknion
- Wieland
Office furniture companies that have removed flame-retardant chemicals from SOME of their furniture:
- Haworth
- Herman Miller
- Leland International/Freshcoast
- Martin Brattrud
