MillerKnoll issues 2023 Better World Report, detailing strides to design a better world

by • Company news

MillerKnoll, the global collective of dynamic design brands, has published its 2023 Better World report, detailing the company’s goal to design a better world through sustainability, community impact, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). In 2021, following Herman Miller’s acquisition of Knoll, Herman Miller was renamed MillerKnoll, and the brands’ shared legacies of sustainable and inclusive design were brought together. This report provides metrics and details of initiatives launched by the collective of brands.

“As a collective of brands, we have a real opportunity to create a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment and to protect the planet we share; an opportunity that we’re seizing,” said Andi Owen, CEO of MillerKnoll. “We remain dedicated to sparking positive change, making a difference, and designing a more beautiful world, and we are excited to give our customers, dealers, and the broader design community a window into the impact we’ve made so far.”

Highlights from MillerKnoll’s 2023 Better World Report include:

Doing More for Our Planet:
In 2022, MillerKnoll announced sustainability goals to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, design out waste, and source better materials by 2030. Since then, MillerKnoll’s collective of brands have made progress toward achieving these goals by investing in renewable energy, reducing waste in our packaging and global manufacturing operations, and increasing use of recycled content in our products. Specifically, since MillerKnoll’s fiscal year ended 2021, it has:

  • Reduced packaging waste at 14 of the company’s global contract facilities by 40%
  • Added 50% post-consumer recycled content to plastic bags at its Greenhouse manufacturing facility
  • Diverted 127 metric tons of reclaimed products and packaging materials for each product category from landfills through the rePurpose program

Designing an Equitable Future: 
On a mission to build a more equitable and diverse workplace and industry, and to create spaces where all people feel seen, and different perspectives are heard, the company has:

  • Directed $450 million to spend with diverse suppliers from FY 2021–2023
  • Conducted internal training, focused on inclusion and belonging
  • Grew participation in MillerKnoll’s 8 Business Resource Groups (BRGs) to 1,000 associates, with average growth of 20% per year since 2020
  • Engaged 14 global brands across 9 days for the company’s 2022 Days of Understanding

Being a Force for Good in our Communities:
MillerKnoll is delivering community impact by collaborating with non-profit organizations and other stakeholders that share its belief in equity, access, opportunity, and belonging. In 2022, MillerKnoll:

  • Invested over $2,400,000 in philanthropic funds to MillerKnoll communities around the globe through the MillerKnoll Foundation
  • Gave back to communities through 22,000 hours of associate volunteering annually
  • Engaged 9,000 youth through partnerships and programs
  • Celebrated 100% brand and community participation in the MillerKnoll Global Day of Purpose