Kit by: Jake Madoff
Co-Founder | Agreeable & Co.
The office is finally a space that’s catching up with the times (i.e., you’re now starting to see good design and sustainability being incorporated into the space itself). There are of course still a significant number of brands that don’t utilize good design principles and sustainability when crafting their products, but we hope – and are confident – more will start to catch on and catch up.
Below is a curated and researched kit of some of top (and in my opinion, best) design firms that create award-winning and eco-friendly office chairs, desk chairs and stools. Virtually all of these selections have won awards for smart and brilliant design – in addition to carrying seals and certifications for sustainability. These won’t disappoint! Let me know what you think in the comments below. I should say, there is no explicit order in terms of ‘first best’ and ‘last best’ – each one of these chairs incorporates a meaningful degree of sustainability and design.
top 10 best designed office chairs best sustainable office chairs
Best designed office chairs. Discover 10 of the best designed office chairs that incorporate comfort & stunning, modern eco design. Plus, find the best sustainable office chairs made from low impact materials. These are the best designed office chairs.
10 Best Designed (Ergonomic) & Sustainable Office Desk Chairs
(Yes, We Actually Researched This)
Award-Winning Office Chair, “MultiGeneration”
By: Knoll (Design by New Zealand-based, Formway Design)
A Conscious Alternative
I figured I would start out with a cool design – perhaps you never thought an office chair could look like this and be sustainable. Besides being featured in movies like “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, this chair is highly regarded for several sustainable design and production strategies. Additionally, it’s BIFMA level® 3 certified and Rated SMaRT© Sustainable Gold by GREENGUARD.
RATING
SCS Indoor Advantage™ Gold Certified Office Chair Made with Recycled & Recyclable Materials
By: coalesse (Designed by Michael Shields, USA)
A Conscious Alternative
This is a super clean, modern office chair. In my opinion, it’s a modern, geometric take on the classic tall-back chairs that you would see in 50’s. Besides having a stunning look, it’s 55.6-66.2% recyclable, and is crafted with 16-20% recycled content. Michael Shields is also an incredibly talented designer based in the USA.
RATING
Red Dot-Award Winning, Sustainable Office Chair
By: Human Scale (Designed by Todd Bracher)
A Conscious Alternative
This is one of the newest products by Todd Bracher – and a recent recipient of the Red Dot Award for the ‘best of the best’ design. It has a low back, sleek look and feel, and was built with for ergonomic comfort. It was also engineered sustainably – built to last. Not built for obsolescence.
RATING
Ergonomic, Form Flex Back, Lumbar Support Office Chair (Made of Recycled & Recyclable Materials)
By: Herman Miller
A Conscious Alternative
Herman Miller is an accomplished and well-respected design firm based in the USA. In addition to designing with the human form in mind (i.e., crafting for comfort and back support), they incorporate a sustainable design concept called, ‘Cradle to Cradle’. I found a document they put together about their process. You can read it here.
RATING
Ergonomic, Basic Office Chair (Made of Recycled & Recyclable Materials)
By: Herman Miller
A Conscious Alternative
This is another top, highly-reviewed office chair by Herman Miller. This one doesn’t have all the back support and level adjustments that the chair above does (also by Herman Miller), but is still a solid choice. It’s also a more basic design – made to be a relatively cheaper option.
RATING
Executive Arm Chair (GREENGUARD Certified®)
By: Knoll (Designed by Eliel Saarinen)
A Conscious Alternative
This desk chair has a bit of a different look and feel than the others. In my opinion, its design is slightly more mature. Like some of the other selections, this one has a low back cushion (i.e., hits the mid of your back). It’s also GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified®. If you’re wondering why it’s not vegan-friendly, you can read more about the fabric Knoll uses here – but, in short, this chair uses a fabric that’s a wool blend.
RATING
Adjustable Lumbar Support, Office Chair (2014 Red Dot Award, 2014 Good Design Award)
By: Steelcase
A Conscious Alternative
If you’re thinking, “Oh, this chair looks pretty cool too.” Then you’re not alone – multiple design judges agree with you. This chair has won three awards for smart, efficient design strategies: the 2014 Red Dot Award, 2014 Good Design Award, and 2014 If Product Design Award. I told you, these are truly the best of the best in terms of good-looking, well-designed office desk chairs. As for the company itself, you can read more about the sustainability standards that Steelcase follows on their website: here.
RATING
Multipurpose Office Stool “Ballo” – Eco-Friendly TPV Materials
By: Human Scale (Designed by Don Chadwick)
A Conscious Alternative
Wait, what’s this? Is what I thought at first. It’s called “Ballo”. It kind of looks like something either from a Pixar film or a sci-fi-esque office space. According to the designer, it’s supposed to be a fun, mobile, multi-purpose stool. Essentially, it’s a new take on sitting on the office yoga ball. I would definitely get one to try it out. You can even have this next to your desk – perhaps to swap it in when you want to improve your posture or change up your seating position. You can read more about the design here.
RATING
Built-in Lumbar Adjustment, Multi-Position Tilt Lock Office Chair (BIFMA Level 2® Certified)
By: HON
A Conscious Alternative
This is one of the top-rated desk chairs by HON. It’s your classic desk chair – it comes with height and tilt adjustments, plus features built-in lumbar support. It’s also BIFMA Level 2® Certified. If you’re curious what this means, I’ll include a link (here) that explains the sustainability standards of this certification.
RATING
Award-Winning Ergonomic, Adjustable Office Chair (Rated SMaRT© Sustainable Platinum)
By: Knoll (Designed by New Zealand-based, Formway Design)
A Conscious Alternative
This is another chair by Formway Design. It also features built-in lumbar support, a back panel to cradle your neck and all the standard tilt and rotation adjustments. Something unique about this chair in particular is that it’s Rated SMaRT© Sustainable Platinum – which is one the highest rating of its kind. It’s also BIFMA level® 3 certified.
RATING
View Our Research Standards.
Each of our six badges has its own unique set of metrics. These are some of the qualities (i.e., metrics) we try to look into when assessing a product and brand with respect to each of our badges:
Socially Responsible (purple triangle):
+ Does the company abide by Fair Trade Practices, or is it Fair Trade Certified;
+ Is there a commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);
+ Is the company philanthropic – does it donate goods or services to environmental or humanitarian efforts;
+ Does the brand promote corporate transparency;
+ Are there any community engagement initiatives set in place;
+ Does the company communicate healthy and equitable working conditions along the supply chain;
+ Does the brand abide by fair and honorable employment values;
+ Is there a disclosure of sourcing methods, and are such materials or ingredients sourced responsibly;
+ Does the brand have a cause-driven mission towards human & environmental health & well-being.
*We do not conduct in-person audits. Oftentimes we will consult the language and standards set by third-party certifications and seals such as Fair Trade Certified, B Corp Certified, Rainforest Alliance Certified, Green America Certified, etc. We will, however, do independent research with respect to certain badges and utilize peer-reviewed articles. Also, please note that according to the Journal of Economics and the EPA, “social responsibility” does include practices and commitments that support environmental health and well-being; thus, the qualities of this badge may overlap with our other badges.
Eco-Conscious (red triangle):
+ Does the company practice sustainable modes of production;
+ Is the product composed of materials and/or ingredients that are biodegradable;
+ Are the materials and/or ingredients compostable;
+ Does the company have carbon reduction or mitigation strategies set in place;
+ Do the involved materials and/or ingredients have a relatively low environmentally impact;
+ Does the company utilize reduce or reuse principles in their facilities;
+ Does the company use renewable or efficient energy technologies in the production of their good(s);
+ Are there practices in place that work to maintain ecosystem biodiversity;
+ Is environmental stewardship a part of their business model.
*We aim to be transparent and objective when it comes to labeling a product as “Eco-Conscious”, and reject “greenwashing”. According to marketing and advertising standards set by The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Green Guides, it is most accurate to communicate not that a product is necessarily “good” for the environment, but that it is a “better environmental alternative”. This is the message we aim to communicate in labeling a product as “Eco-Conscious”.
Quality Materials/Ingredients (M/I) (green triangle):
+ Does the product contain organic or certified organic m/i;
+ Is there a significant degree of m/i ‘naturalness’;
+ Is the product non-GMO or Verified Non-GMO;
+ Are the m/i biodegradable;
+ Are the m/i compostable;
+ Do the m/i raise little to no concern in terms of m/i toxicity;
+ Is the product treated with harsh chemicals;
+ Is there a healthy ratio of synthetic or artificial m/i to natural m/i;
*For select “Pantry” products, we may look into health and nutritional value.
*For select products, we may consult reviews to assess m/i effectiveness.
*Generally, these are the ingredients that we try to steer clear of: Acesulfame-K (acesulfame potassium), Acetylated ester of mono- and diglycerides, Ammonium chloride, Antibiotics, Artificial colors (Synthetic and FD&C Certified), Artificial flavors, Aspartame, Astaxanthin, Azodicarbonamide, Bentonite, Benzoates, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), Bisulfites, Bromated flour, Brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Calcium bromate, Calcium disodium, EDTA, Calcium peroxide, Calcium propionate, Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate, Calcium sorbate, Caprocaprylobehenin Carmine, DATEM (diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono and diglycerides), Diglycerides (acceptable in supplements), Dimethylpolysiloxane, Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS), Disodium calcium EDTA, Disodium dihydrogen, Disodium guanylate (GMP), Disodium succinate, Dimethylamylamine (DMAA)… Read more at Free From 101.
To see the rest of our badges and read our full list of indicators, please visit our “About” page.
Hey people! My name is Jake. I’m the Co-Founder of Agreeable & Co. I’m an Environmentalist, Social Entrepreneur, Writer and Developer. Besides making people- and planet-friendly products more accessible through Agreeable & Co., I run an online research guide for sustainable, ethical, and healthy products, called Greener Square (which is slowly transitioning to Agreeable & Co.); and helped to start an award-winning trade and barter app, called TradeMade, that measures and tracks one’s carbon footprint. I also recently graduated from New York University, where I studied corporate sustainability, environmental ethics, and ecological science. In a word, conscious consumption and overall healthy, low-impact living is my jam. I also like jam.
Have a question? I’ll answer.
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best designed office chairs. best designed office chairs. Discover 10 of the best designed office chairs that incorporate comfort & stunning, modern eco design. best designed office chairs. Plus, find the best sustainable office chairs made from low impact materials. best designed office chairs. best designed office chairs. best designed office chairs.
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I can’t believe I found this. Great writing and super helpful selections. Do you guys recommend that Ballo one? Looks fun enough.
Thank you 🙂 We haven’t tried it, but the reviews look great for it.
Great job on this one. These chairs are a bit pricey, but hopefully worth it. Which one did you say was the best? Looking into getting one. Thanks
Thank you! I would say the “MultiGeneration” one is my favorite – but each have good and useful qualities. If you’re looking for the more typical office chair design, then I would go with one by Herman Miller or Knoll.
Cool stuff
Thanks, Brian!
I appreciate this, because I found exactly what I was looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
You’re very welcome! Glad you like this kit 🙂
Really such a valuable website.
Thank you! It took a while to research the best sustainable office chairs – we’re happy with the list. 🙂
This is a really unique site. I really like it. thank you. all the best keep it up.
Thank you! 🙂