Herman Miller Meridian Storage User Manual

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Our sustainability goals by the year 2020:

• Zero carbon footprint

• Zero landfill

• Zero hazardous waste generation

• Zero air emissions (VOCs)

• Zero process water use

• 100 percent renewable electrical energy use via renewable
energy credits and a power purchase agreement

• Company buildings constructed to a minimum
LEED Silver certification

• 100 percent of sales from DfE approved products

Environmental Product Summary

Meridian

®

Filing and Storage

Design Story: Versatile and Durable,
Year after Year

The Meridian family of storage products—including
stackable lateral files, stackable storage cabinets,
storage towers, storage cases and bookcases,
pedestals, and vertical files—are known far and wide
for their design and durability.

Most of these products are modular in nature,
reconfigurable, and come in a variety of sizes, colors,
heights, file modules, drawer pulls, and veneers. This
makes it possible to adapt them to changing storage,
space, and aesthetic requirements.

All Meridian products are made principally of steel,
with some plastic pieces. Virtually each product in
the line can be broken down for recycling after many
years of faithful service. The steel industry reports that
today’s steel generally contains a recycled content of
roughly 33 percent.

• LCA—Have we optimized the product based on the
entire life cycle?

level® Certification
Meridian filing and storage is certified level 2. The
level conformance mark ensures a comprehensive,

independent, and impartial assessment of the
environmental and social impacts of a product.

Cradle to Cradle Certified

Meridian filing and storage is Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM
Silver. (Restrictions include the mobile pedestal with
handle.) This means that Meridian has been evaluated
for its material health, and is designed for material
reuse in a closed loop system, such as recycling or
composting. It is assembled using 100% renewable energy.

Material Content

Meridian components are constructed of steel and
other materials.

CM

Herman Miller’s Design Protocol

Our commitment to corporate sustainability naturally
includes minimizing the environmental impact of each
of our products. Our Design for Environment team (DfE)
applies environmentally sensitive design standards to
both new and existing Herman Miller products.

The DfE Design Protocol goes beyond regulatory
compliance to thoroughly evaluate new product
designs in four key areas:

• Material Chemistry and Safety of Inputs—
What chemicals are in the materials we specify, and
are they the safest available?

• Disassembly—Can we take products apart at the
end of their useful life, to recycle their materials?

• Recyclability—Do the materials contain recycled
content, and more importantly, can the materials be
recycled at the end of the product’s useful life?

z 1

Meridian filing and storage is up to 97 percent
recyclable at the end of its useful life.

Meridian components are comprised of up to
34-percent recycled materials. This figure breaks
down to 22-percent to 28-percent post-consumer
recycled content and 5-percent to 6-percent
pre-consumer recycled content.

® Y and Z and Meridian are among the registered trademarks of Herman Miller, Inc.
Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
® level is a trademark of BIFMA International.
Only the products that are identified as such on this document are FSC® certified.
® GREENGUARD is a registered trademark of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute.
© 2012 Herman Miller, Inc., Zeeland, Michigan

STEEL 76-97%

OTHER 3-24%

Y

Environmental Product Summary

Meridian

®

Filing and Storage

• Most laminate and veneer Meridian
storage fronts and tops may be ordered
as FSC® certified products.

• Meridian products are composed
primarily of bent, formed, stamped, and
rolled steel, with some plasma welding
and laser cutting.

• Steel components contain approximately 35 percent
recycled content and are 100 percent recyclable.

• Most metal components have a powder-coat paint
finish that emits negligible volatile organic compounds
(VOCs).

• The recycled Ironstone finish used in drawer interiors
is composed of up to 50 percent recycled powder­coat paint.

• Plastic components are identified with an ASTM
recycling code whenever possible, to aid in returning
these materials to the recycling stream.

• Returnable/Recyclable Packaging—The majority of
Meridian products are blanket-wrapped. Other
packaging materials include corrugated cardboard,
honeycomb, and polyethylene stretch wrap. These
materials are part of a closed-loop recycling system,
meaning they can be recycled repeatedly.

– Whenever possible, shipments between

– On large North American orders, disposable

POST-CONSUMER
RECYCLED CONTENT 22-28%

PRE-CONSUMER

RECYCLED CONTENT 5-6%

Herman Miller and its suppliers include the use
of pallets and other returnable packaging to
minimize waste.

packaging can be replaced with reusable shipping
blankets.

Product Performance

• Designed for minimal material use, reduced energy
requirements, easy reconfiguration, and durability.

• Backed by Herman Miller’s 12-year, 24/7 warranty.

Indoor Air Quality

Meridian filing and storage is GREENGUARD® certified
as a low-emitting product that meets current indoor
air quality standards.

Corporate Environmental Policy

For more information on Herman Miller’s Corporate
Environmental Policy and other environmental
efforts, visit the “Environmental Advocacy” section of
HermanMiller.com.

Supplier Support

At Herman Miller, we are committed to working closely
with our suppliers to reduce our collective impact on
the environment. We not only encourage our suppliers
to minimize their operations’ environmental impacts,
but require they assist us in decreasing our facilities’
negative environmental effects, as well.

LEED

Meridian filing and storage may contribute to
LEED credits due to its returnable/reusable packaging,
durability, pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled
content. Depending on location, these products also
may contribute to a LEED Regional Materials credit.
Please refer to http://hermanmiller.com/ecoScore­card or contact your Herman Miller representative for
detailed LEED information.

It’s important to note that no interior furnishings,
individually or collectively, can guarantee a
specific number of points for LEED certification.

Manufacturing Process

• ISO—Meridian filing and storage is manufactured in
West Michigan at an ISO 14001-certified site.

• Worker Health and Safety—Herman Miller strives
to meet or exceed OSHA standards. Meridian
filing and storage is manufactured at an OHSAS
18001-certified site.

Herman Miller complies with the Federal Trade commission’s Part 260

Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims.

® Y and Z and Meridian are among the registered trademarks of Herman Miller, Inc.
Cradle to Cradle CertifiedCM is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

z 2

® level is a trademark of BIFMA International.
Only the products that are identified as such on this document are FSC® certified.
® GREENGUARD is a registered trademark of the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute.
© 2012 Herman Miller, Inc., Zeeland, Michigan