Sustainability stories
Ocean-bound plastic
Stories that inspire our path to a better world
One by one and bit by bit, the little pieces of plastic are adding up, making their way to our oceans and waterways, which results in more than 86 metric tons of plastic in the seas. Every year, that number increases by 8 million.1 The figure is so staggering that by 2050, the ocean is expected to contain, by weight, more plastic than fish.2 In the pivotal moment in which plastic either becomes garbage lost to sea or collected and made something brand new, we’re stepping in.
By 2050, the ocean is expected to contain, by weight, more plastic than fish.
More than five years ago, Herman Miller helped found a consortium, along with companies like Dell and HP, that set out to develop the first global network of ocean-bound plastic supply chains. As a result, our suppliers now work with local pickers along coastlines to scavenge for plastic, which is then ground, washed, and pelletized. When it’s sold to companies like ours, we test and re-engineer the plastic and incorporate it into a growing number of our products and packaging.
MillerKnoll has recovered 300 million plastic bottles worth of plastic, or the equivalent of 30 blue whales3 from coastlines—and by integrating this transformed plastic into our products and processes, we’re reducing the volume of plastic waste, little by little.
References
1) 8 Million Tons of Plastic Pollution Each Year. Environmental Action. (2023, October 13).
2) Ocean Pollution Facts. Conservation International. (n.d.).
3) Thakkar, S. (2024, August 27). HP’s Ocean-Bound Plastics Initiative: Transforming Waste into Sustainable Technology. HP.
Next story
Headline 75 max lorem ipsum dolor
Subhed. Character count 180 max. Sentence case, full sentences preferred.
Learn More
Safe chemistry
MillerKnoll is the First Office Furniture Manufacturer to Announce Elimination of PFAS from North American Brand Portfolio of Products.
Read More
