Herman Miller Passage Desking System 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

Passage® Desking System

Design Story: Freestanding Flexibility

Herman Miller’s Passage desking system blends the
advantages of freestanding and systems furniture, and
works equally well in open and enclosed spaces, in
individual and team settings. Passage starts with
modular desk units that provide the basic building
blocks upon which both the structure and the delivery
of power and data are based.

Environmentally speaking, durability is an essential
quality when selecting office furniture. Passage is
built to handle reconfiguration, reorganization, and
reengineering, additional attributes that extend the
system’s life cycle and lessen its environmental impact.

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?

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

level® Certification

Passage is certified level 1. The level conformance mark
ensures a comprehensive, independent, and impartial

assessment of the environmental and social impacts
of a product.

Material Content

The Passage system’s components are constructed
from steel, wood, plastic, textile, and other materials.

STEEL 61%

WOOD 32%

PLASTIC 4%

OTHER 3%

The Passage system is up to 63 percent recyclable
at the end of its useful life.

Passage is comprised of 49-percent recycled materials.
This figure breaks down to 15-percent post-consumer
and 34-percent pre-consumer recycled content.

POST-CONSUMER
RECYCLED CONTENT 15%

PRE-CONSUMER
RECYCLED CONTENT 34%

• Most Passage square-edged laminate
and veneer worksurfaces may be ordered
as FSC® certified products.

• Most metal components have a powder­coat paint finish that emits negligible

® Y and Z and Passage are among the registered trademarks of Herman Miller, Inc.
® level is a trademark of BIFMA International.

z 1

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

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Environmental Product Summary

Passage® Desking System

volatile organic components (VOCs).

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

• Wood, while not technically recyclable, can be
cycled back to the natural environment, such as
through composting. The wood content in our work
surfaces and storage unit substrates is comprised
of 100-percent reclaimed wood, as certified by the
Composite Panel Associations EPP. This wood content
is made primarily of sawdust generated by other
wood process operations. Additionally, wood waste
from our operations can be burned in our energy
center, which generates steam that we use in our
operations facilities.

• All veneers used are purchased from suppliers
practicing responsible forestry techniques.

– Approximately 60-80 percent of veneers are derived

from domestically grown woods, notably cherry.

–Responsibly harvested, rapidly renewable

bamboo work surface veneer is also available.

– All veneers are adhered to the substrate with

water-based glues to minimize air emissions.

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

• Textiles used in Herman Miller products can be made
from natural or synthetic fibers. Several textiles are
available with 100 percent recycled content.

• Returnable/Recyclable Packaging—Packaging
materials include corrugated cardboard, honeycomb,
and expanded polystyrene. These materials are part
of a closed-loop recycling system, meaning they can
be recycled repeatedly.

– Whenever possible, shipments between

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

– On large North American orders, disposable

packaging can be replaced with reusable
shipping blankets.

Product Performance

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

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

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Indoor Air Quality

The Passage system 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

The Passage system may contribute to LEED credits
due to its returnable/reusable packaging, durability,
pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled content.
Depending on location, Passage 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—The Passage system is manufactured in West
Michigan at an ISO 14001-certified site using 100
percent renewable energy via renewable energy
credits and a power purchase agreement.

• Worker Health and Safety—Herman Miller strives to
meet or exceed OSHA standards. Passage 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 Passage are among the registered trademarks of Herman Miller, Inc.
® level is a trademark of BIFMA International.

z 2

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