The result of more than four years of research and development, Herman Miller's new Mirra is a high-performing, environmentally advanced work chair that sets a new reference point for ergonomic comfort, aesthetics, sustainability and price in the mid-price office seating market.

Like all new Herman Miller designs, Mirra was scrutinized from top to bottom to assure that its material chemistry, recyclability, manufacturability, packaging, and ease of disassembly are environmentally friendly. In fact, Mirra is the first chair designed from the ground-up to meet Herman Miller's stringent Design for the Environment (DfE) protocols, which focus on creating economic value while simultaneously valuing the environment.

Based on MBDC's protocols, and developed with MBDC, these DfE protocols help define Herman Miller's vision of sustainable capitalism—using benign, closed-loop materials and processes that protect and enhance the natural environment for future generations.

"Herman Miller's Mirra chair represents the most advanced and complete application of the cradle-to-cradle design protocols among any product manufacturer to date," said William McDonough, co-founder and principal, McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. "The chair, and the company, confirms that great design and ecological and economic success are possible—today."

In 2003, Mirra received a Gold Award in the Best of NeoCon 2003 Competition, winning the Desk/Workstation/Task category.

links: www.hermanmiller.com; Anatomy of a Transformation (April 2002 MBDC.com feature story)

In 1993, William McDonough and Michael Braungart undertook a design assignment to create an attractive and functional fabric that could safely return to the environment at the end of its useful life. The project was commissioned by DesignTex and carried out at a Swiss textile mill, RohnerTextil AG. The resulting product, Climatex®Lifecycle™, is so safe that the fabric's trimmings can be used as mulch by local garden clubs.

McDonough and Braungart faced a challenge in identifying materials that were functional, ecologically sound, and socially just. A combination of free-range wool and ramie were selected for their comfort and moisture wicking properties, and because they could be safely abraded into the environment over the course of their use.

Partnering with Swiss chemical manufacturer Ciba and EPEA, the design team positively selected 38 chemical dyes, auxiliaries, and fixatives that met performance criteria and were not harmful to plants, animals, humans or ecosystems. The resulting fabric has garnered gold medals and design awards and has proved to be tremendously successful in the marketplace.

Climatex Lifecycle exemplifies what is possible with intelligent design: ecological soundness, social fairness, success in the marketplace, creativity rather than regulation, and an entirely new way of making and consuming. A design that is restorative rather than depletive, Climatex Lifecycle can be seen as the flag at the forefront of the Next Industrial Revolution.

link: www.climatex.com