Knoll continues to gain credit as a sustainability leader. The workplace and residential furnishings company announced Friday (May 7) the designation of its Dividends Horizon® product as the first office system to earn Level 3 BIFMA Certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association rating scores a product, as well as its producing organization and facilities, for sustainability in four areas—Materials, Energy and Atmosphere, Human and Ecosystem Health, and Social Responsibility. Level 3 is the highest rating attainable.

"Level certification complements our long-standing commitment to third-party programs that provide independent verification of environmental standards. The BIFMA sustainability program reinforces our leadership efforts to pioneer clean manufacturing policies that protect the biosphere and conserve natural resources," says Lou Newett, Knoll’s health and safety manager who leads the company's environmental sustainability efforts, in a statement.

Dividends Horizon by Knoll, designed by Jeffrey Bernett and Nicholas Dodziuk with David Noel, Dividends Horizon, is a versatile, aesthetic office solution that offers a sense of community while allowing for organization and practicality. Other certified products under the SMaRT© Consensus Sustainable Product Standard include Generation by Knoll (Platinum); Chadwick (Gold); Calibre (Gold); Moment (Gold); and Template (Gold).

Other industry manufacturers holding BIFMA-level certifications since 2007 are Steelcase, Allsteel, Gunlocke, HON, Kimball, National Office, and Paoli.