Humanscale Showcases Its Global Partnership With Kvadrat At The Stockholm Furniture Fair
New products on display, including an exclusive international preview of Freedom Ocean upholstered in Kvadrat Sport
Humanscale, the leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic furniture products, will be exhibiting at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2024. As its headline, Humanscale will be previewing Freedom Ocean, the fourth in its collection of Ocean chairs, and the latest addition to its continued commitment to making a planet positive impact. Aligning to Humanscale’s values, Freedom Ocean will be shown upholstered in Kvadrat Sport which uses 100% ocean bound plastic and the collaboration will fittingly be previewed in Stockholm. In addition to Freedom Ocean, Humanscale will showcase several other products from its range of ergonomic work solutions which demonstrate the company’s continued excellence in terms of sustainability and workplace wellbeing. The stand will demonstrate this via different zones including active, collaborative seating, pro-grade workstations, and work lounge along with the Freedom Ocean zone.
Stockholm Furniture Fair takes place between 6-10 February 2024, and has firmly established itself as a global design destination showing the best in both Scandinavian and International Design.
Designed by Niels Diffrient, the Freedom chair is described by The New York Times as the ‘gold standard in office seating’ and was the first task chair launch from Humanscale. It revolutionised task seating by eliminating levers, dials, and other mechanisms to provide physics-driven, ergonomic support. Now Freedom joins Humanscale’s Ocean collection by further utilising recycled materials, which includes reclaimed fishing nets, used plastic bottles, and post-industrial material.
Humanscale was the first manufacturer to launch a task chair made with reclaimed fishing nets – widely regarded as the most harmful type of ocean plastic – when it introduced the Smart Ocean chair in 2018. Following that success, Humanscale introduced the Liberty Ocean chair and most recently Path which was launched globally last year. In this way, Humanscale directly supports clean oceans by using abandoned, lost and discarded fishing nets that damage delicate ecosystems and marine life that inhabit them.
Following on from Kvadrat’s global partnership which began in 2023, the Freedom Ocean chairs previewed at Stockholm will be upholstered using Kvadrat Sport, designed by Patricia Urquiola. Sport exemplifies Kvadrat’s commitment to conscious design principles as it is the world’s first recycled upholstery polyester textile made of 100% ocean-bound plastic waste. Sport offers a highly sustainable profile compared to other ocean-bound polyester textiles. These often incorporate plastic recovered much further from the sea – up to 50km away – and typically integrate virgin polyester or non-ocean-bound recycled post post-consumer polyester.
Humanscale will also use the fair to tell the story of its performance centric designs through the zones on the stand. Visitors to the stand will discover how Humanscale’s award-winning designs have intuitive features and fewer manual controls, making them easier to use with a timeless design aesthetic.
This will include an active zone, which features the Float Mini table which is a compact solution for sit/stand working, encouraging natural movement with a work surface that glides to a range of heights. Also within this zone is Active Pony, which allows healthy motion and targets a wide variety of core muscles via the stool’s base. This helps minimise fatigue and build strength.
Humanscale’s collaborative seating collection will feature a stunning range of award-winning task and meeting chairs. Within this zone, visitors can see and experience Freedom, Liberty, Smart, World and Path chairs, showcased in Kvadrat textiles as part of their global partnership.
The pro-grade workstation zone focuses on workstations and will comprise of the optimal work setup, featuring the Float table, Liberty Ocean chair, M2 & M8 monitor arms, NeatCharge, Float keyboard tray and Nova task light.
The final zone is the work lounge, which features the Float Gather table, a round version of the original Float highlighting its sit/stand properties, along with Trea Lite Task chairs designed by Todd Bracher.
Across its product portfolio, Humanscale is committed to designing with the health of both consumers and the planet in mind. Humanscale takes a Planet Positive approach to manufacturing to reverse the damage done to the environment through manufacturing. They believe simply reducing your footprint, or aiming for net zero, isn’t enough. 70% of the products they sell are certified net positive. This means any time these products are made the planet is measurably better off.
In addition to using recycling materials and eliminating Red List chemicals from the coatings, finishes and additives used in the manufacturing of its products, Humanscale also publishes Declare labels for its products. Described as a ‘nutritional label for products,’ this gives complete transparency of materials and ingredients in each product, keeping consumers informed and reassured about the purchases they are making.
Humanscale’s showcase at Stockholm reinforces its position as a leader in creating sustainable products that work harmoniously together, driving wellbeing and productivity at work.
Humanscale, Stand A07:29, Stockholmsmässan, Mässväagen ,1 Alvsjo
About Humanscale Humanscale is the leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic products that improve the health and comfort of work life. Through leveraging new technology in functional yet minimal designs, Humanscale transforms traditional offices into active, intelligent workspaces. Guided by the core philosophy that good design achieves more with less, Humanscale is committed to designing with the health of both consumers and the planet in mind. Humanscale has 26 products, which represent a majority of sales, certified by the International Living Future Institute's Living Product Challenge (LPC)—considered the most advanced sustainability standard for products—as climate, water, and energy positive. Further commitments include using recycled materials and eliminating Red-List chemicals from their products, which are often found in coatings, finishes, and additives. As transparency is necessary to generate change within the industry, Humanscale also issues transparency labels with products so that consumers can feel confident and informed about their purchases. Committed to making a net positive impact on the Earth as well as our customers, Humanscale offers award-winning products designed with a focus on function, simplicity, and longevity. Click here for more information on Humanscale and their products.