Did the office furniture industry abandon Greenbuild or did Greenbuild abandon the industry? That is the question as visitors from the commercial interiors industry had to have in mind as they walked the floor of the annual international conference and expo last week in Chicago.
It is not a simple answer, and the answer you get depends greatly on who you ask. The best one might be: A little of both. The office furniture industry used to dominate the annual U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) event with massive booths and a huge investment in the LEED program, but over the years that commitment seems to have waned.
In the expo guide for this year's Greenbuild, there was a lone company in the furnishings and fabrics category: Davies Office, a furniture remanufacturer that has been at Greenbuild since its inception.
Steelcase had a definite presence as a major sponsor. Its furniture was found in every casual meeting area and education space in the show. The company also sponsored the Building Performance and Applied Learning area.
Still, the Greenbuild expo is no longer a furniture-dominated event. Instead of the huge Steelcase, Herman Miller and Knoll booths, visitors found them replaced by Dodge, Ford, Panasonic and Home Depot. Other than the remanufactured Davies Office products and Steelcase sponsored lounges, there was not a stick of furniture to be found at Greenbuild.
Office furniture makers were there, but as attendees, not as exhibitors.
One furniture executive at the event, who asked to remain anonymous, said the USGBC “let them down.” While the office furniture industry promoted LEED and the USGBC, the USGBC did not reciprocate, he said. Few LEED points — the key to building certification under the USGBC program — are given for environmentally friendly furniture products, despite the industry's heavy buy-in, according to the executive. So they stopped showing at Greenbuild.
That doesn't mean the industry turned its back on the green movement. It can be argued the industry cares about the environment more than ever. One reason why Greenbuild might not be as important to the industry as it once was is that since LEED was introduced, there have been a host of new environmental certifications to consider. The WELL Building Institute and its program have become more important to interior designers and architects, which means the industry is putting more emphasis on WELL Certification. The Living Product Challenge also has become an important target for some office furniture makers, most notably Humanscale.