Steelcase Recognized as Multinational Finalist in The Circulars

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 25, 2018 -- Today Steelcase announces the company has been named a finalist in The Circulars, presented by the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders in collaboration with Accenture.

The Circulars, now in its fourth year, is the world’s premier circular economy award program. Open to individuals and organizations from the private and public sectors as well as civil society, the awards showcase advances that drive innovation and growth while reducing dependence on scarce natural resources. Steelcase was recognized as a finalist in the multinational category, alongside Google, Enel, H&M Group., C&A, category runner-up GEM Co., LTD and category winner IKEA. 

“This award represents an important moment in our sustainability journey,” said Jim Keane, president and CEO of Steelcase. “Sustainability is a promise we keep to ourselves, our communities and our society, and we're continuously challenging ourselves to do even more.” 

Judges recognized the company’s deep commitment to circular economy thinking and strategy, particularly a focus on continuous improvement in product design and customer offerings. The business value Steelcase has realized through adopting circular models was also noted by the judging committee.

“Steelcase has been a recognized leader in sustainable product excellence for a very long time,” said Angela Nahikian, director, global sustainability at Steelcase. “Our commitment to circular economy practices means we are taking an even broader, systems level approach to bringing new value to our customers and society. It is an honor for us to be recognized among such great companies and we congratulate the winners and nominees.”

Steelcase accomplishments in the last year include:

• Launched products and materials designed for circularity such as Steelcase Series™ 1, New Black, a collection of fabrics made of recycled materials, and Planked Veneer.
• Expanded services help customers monitor, manage and optimize real estate and optimize environments for users.
• Grew global service offering that helps customers redeploy underutilized assets.
• Continued to offer financing and leasing programs while exploring and piloting new ways to deliver value to customers through share and pay-for-experience models.
• Continued to grow Steelcase Event Experiences—a part of the business that partners with companies in need of short-term, inspiring event or work spaces.

The Circulars event was held at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on January 22, 2018. The program attracted 296 entries from 45 countries.

Steelcase recently shared circular products and services highlights in its 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report, which celebrates the company’s progress toward social, environmental and economic goals. The report is available at csr.steelcase.com.

About Steelcase Inc.
For over 105 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped create great experiences for the world's leading organizations, across industries. We demonstrate this through our family of brands – including Steelcase®, Coalesse®, Designtex®, PolyVision® and Turnstone®. Together, they offer a comprehensive portfolio of architecture, furniture and technology products and services designed to unlock human promise and support social, economic and environmental sustainability. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including over 800 dealer locations. Steelcase is a global, industry-leading and publicly traded company with fiscal 2017 revenue of $3.0 billion.

Contact: 
Katie Woodruff 
616-915-8505 
[email protected]