Abatement: Reducing the degree or intensity of, or eliminating, pollution.
Air Quality Standards: The level of pollutants prescribed by regulations that are not to be exceeded during a given time in a defined area.
Antimony: A metal used as a catalyst in the polyester manufacturing process. Antimony is a suspected carcinogen, and industry efforts are now underway to perfect and expand the process of producing antimony-free polyester.
Biodegradable: A material that is capable of decomposing in nature within a relatively short period of time.
Carbon Footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the environment. There are many recognized methods to calculate a carbon footprint. Herman Miller has chosen the World Resources Institute (WRI) Greenhouse Gas Protocol as the guideline to calculate our corporate carbon footprint. This protocol is well respected and has been adopted by the international Standards Organization (ISO). Greenhouse gas emissions from all sources are added up and changed into units of CO2 equivalent which is used to standardize greenhouse gas emissions and allow comparisons from year-to-year and across industries. The total amount of carbon emissions, usually in metric tones per year (1 metric tonne equals 2204lbs), is then reported both internally and to the public as an indication of the amount of greenhouse gas the company produces.
Compost: The relatively stable humus material that is produced from a composting process in which bacteria in soil mixed with garbage and degradable trash break down the mixture into organic fertilizer.
Cradle to Cradle: A design protocol that advocates the elimination of waste by recycling a material or product into a new or similar product at the end of its intended life, rather than disposing of it. Cradle to Cradle design is a fundamental conceptual shift away from designing products and systems based on the take-make-waste model of the last century ("cradle to grave"), to designing products and services based on patterns found in nature, eliminating the concept of waste entirely and creating an abundance that is healthy and sustaining.
Cradle to Grave: A manufacturing model, dating to the onset of the Industrial Revolution, which describes the process of disposing of a material or product via landfill, incineration, etc., at the end of its presumed useful life.
Design for the Environment (DfE): A design concept that focuses on reducing environmental and human health impacts through thoughtful design strategies and careful materials selection. Herman Miller's DfE team is responsible for environmentally sensitive design standards for the company's new and existing products.
Ecosystem: The interacting system of a biological community and its non-living environmental surroundings.
Embodied Energy: Refers to both the energy required to make a product and the molecular energy that exists in a product's material content.
Emission: The release of any gas, particle, or vapor into the environment from a commercial, industrial, or residential source including smokestacks, chimneys, and motor vehicles.
Energy Recovery: Obtaining energy from waste through a variety of processes (e.g. combustion). Since 1981, Herman Miller's Energy Center has burned waste to generate both electrical and steam power to run the million-square-foot Main Site manufacturing facility.
Environmental Aspect: An element of an industry's or manufacturer's activities, products, or services that can interact positively or negatively with the environment.
Environmental Audit: An independent assessment of the current status of a party's compliance with applicable environmental requirements or of a party's environmental compliance policies, practices, and controls.
Environmental Impact: Any change to the environment, good or bad, that wholly or partially results from industrial/manufacturing activities, products or services.
Environmental Impact Statement: A document required of federal agencies by the National Environmental Policy Act for major projects or legislative proposals significantly affecting the environment. A tool for decision making, it describes the positive and negative effects of the undertaking and cites alternative actions.
Environmental Management System (EMS): A series of activities designed to monitor and manage the environmental impacts of manufacturing activities.
Environmental Product Summary (EPS): Herman Miller document that gives a description of environmental information for a product. It includes the product's design history, material content, and other points of interest.
EPA: The acronym for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Government organization charged with setting and enforcing environmental regulations nationwide.
EQAT: Acronym for the Environmental Quality Action Team. Herman Miller created EQAT in 1989 as a cross-functional steering committee of employees that sets the company's environmental direction and priorities, and measures results.
Fluorocarbon: A non-flammable, heat-stable hydrocarbon liquid or gas. Traditionally used as propellants, notably in spray cans, fluorocarbons are classified as ozone-depleting substances. Many industries are seeking to reduce, and even eliminate, the use of fluorocarbons in the manufacture and operation of their products.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): An independent, not for profit, non-government organization based in Bonn, Germany, whose mission is to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests.
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody (COC) Certification: An information trail about the path taken by products from the forest or, in the case of recycled materials, from the reclamation site to the consumer including each stage of processing, transformation, manufacturing, and distribution where progress to the next stage of the supply chain involves a change of ownership. FSC certification of such management systems is designed to provide a credible guarantee to customers, whether business, government, or end consumer, that products which are sold (i.e. invoiced and possibly labeled) with a specified FSC certificate code are originating from well-managed forests, controlled sources, reclaimed materials, or a mixture of these. FSC Chain of Custody certification thereby facilitates the transparent flow of goods made from such materials through the supply chain.
Green Energy: Refers to the use of environmentally friendly power and energy that comes from renewable and non-polluting energy sources. Primary green energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and biomass (wood and animal waste, landfill mass).
GREENGUARD: A product certification program, overseen by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute, that presently provides the world's only guide to third-party certified low emitting interior products and building materials. All GREENGUARD certified products undergo quarterly indoor quality performance testing according to stringent environmental testing protocols and meet current indoor air quality standards. Herman Miller's major lines of systems furniture, filing, and storage, including Meridian products (but excluding optional wood veneers) have earned GREENGUARD Certification.
Greenhouse Effect: The warming of the Earth's atmosphere attributed to a buildup of carbon dioxide or other gases.
Greenhouse Gas: Any gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect, including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality problems in buildings. Inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and humidity levels can also increase concentrations of some pollutants.
Industrial Waste: Unwanted materials from an industrial operation; may be liquid, sludge, solid, or hazardous waste.
ISO 14001: An internationally accepted specification for an Environmental Management System (EMS). It specifies requirements for establishing an environmental policy, determining environmental aspects and impacts of products/activities/services, planning environmental objectives and measurable targets, implementation and operation of programs to meet objectives and targets, checking and corrective action, and management review. All of Herman Miller's West Michigan manufacturing sites and its Midwest Distribution Center are ISO 14001 certified. ISO is an acronym for International Organization for Standardization.
Kira: A proprietary Herman Miller system fabric derived from corn. Kira's quality and performance are identical to those associated with conventional fabrics, and it can be quickly composted at the end of its useful life.
LEED: Acronym for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.
LEED Credit Summary (LCS): Herman Miller document that details, by LEED credit, if/how a product may contribute to any given credit.
Life Cycle Assessment: The process of analyzing a product's entire life, from raw materials extraction through manufacturing, delivery, use, and disposal or reuse.
McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) Cradle to Cradle Design Protocol: To assist companies in (re)designing eco-effective products, MBDC uses the Cradle to Cradle Design Protocol to assess materials used in products and production processes. The Protocol is founded on the "Intelligent Products System" developed by Michael Braungart and his colleagues at Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA).
In applying the Protocol, materials in products are first inventoried and then evaluated according to their characteristics within the desired application, and placed into one of four categories (Green, Yellow, Orange, or Red) based on human health and environmental relevance criteria. After all chemicals are assessed, the materials in a product application are optimized by positively selecting replacements for chemicals characterized as Red and using Green chemicals as they are available.
NIOSH: Acronym for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Content: Material that has been recovered after its use as a consumer product. Examples include fleece clothing made from pop bottles and reclaimed carpet tiles used for new tile backing.
Recyclable Content: Materials that can be recovered or diverted from the waste stream for recycling/reuse.
Recycled Content: Refers to the percentage of recycled materials in a product, generally determined by weight.
Regulation vs. Law: A Federal agency imposes a regulation; Congress enacts a law.
Sick Building Syndrome: A situation in which a building's occupants experience acute health and/or comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent there, but where no specific illness or cause can be identified. Complaints may be localized to a particular room or zone, or may spread throughout the building.
Sustainability: "Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (World Commission on Environment and Development)
Toxic: Any material or waste product that can produce injury and/or loss of life if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin.
Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF): A non-profit, educational institution dedicated to the conservation of tropical forests through sustainable forestry. TFF has become widely recognized for establishing demonstration models and training schools to show the advantages and teach the principles of sustainable forest management and reduced-impact logging.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): A national organization, founded in 1993, whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of green building practices, technologies, policies, and standards. USGBC established the LEED Certification guidelines. Herman Miller was a founding member of the Council.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Materials that evaporate, either through use or during storage, from many household and industrial products made with organic chemicals. In sufficient quantities, VOCs are suspected of causing or exacerbating acute and chronic illnesses. Their effects may range from lung, skin, or eye irritation to releasing potentially cancer-causing properties.
Waste-to-Energy: The practice of incinerating waste products to generate steam, heat, or electricity.
Wind Turbine: A mechanical device consisting primarily of rotor blades mounted on a tower in order to "capture" prevailing winds to generate electrical power. The growing interest in wind energy in recent years is largely due to the efforts of some industries and industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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