State of the Circular Workplace
A circular workplace is a zero-waste office – but it’s also something much bigger. We’re building a global movement to rethink how work works.
PRINCIPLES OF THE CIRCULAR WORKPLACE
1. Design out waste.
2. Circulate furniture, fixtures, and equipment at their highest value.
3. Regenerate the natural and built environment.
Our understanding of the Circular Workplace includes unique perspectives from industry leaders at the following organizations:
- Owners & Occupiers
- Furniture Manufacturers
- Resale & Remanufacture
- Technology, Services & Suppliers
- Design & Construction
- Associations & Consultants
The businesses and governments that operate workplaces are the customers of the circular workplace, and their demands for zero-waste are key to making change happen.
General Motors: Tina Burry, Manager, Circular Economy, Detroit.
Stantec: Kenna Houncaren, Senior Vice President, Procurement & Real Estate. Edmonton, Alberta.
Starbucks: Chris McFarlane, Global Responsibility Advisor, Waste. Seattle.
These companies are among the world’s premier suppliers of office furniture. They create the task chairs, workstations, and equipment that furnish the modern workplace.
Steelcase: Heidi Frasure, Sustainability Manager of Circular Economy. Grand Rapids, Mich.
Humanscale: Jane Abernethy, Chief Sustainability Officer. Toronto.
Teknion: Tracy Backus, Director, Sustainable Programs. Washington, DC.
Haworth: Dominic Daunter, Global Design, Innovation, and Sustainability Director. Holland, Mich.
Before circularity was a word, these businesses were making old furniture, fixtures, and equipment new again. As circular workplace gains momentum, they are ready to meet the moment.
Davies Office: Doug Pilgrim, National Business Development Manager. Albany, N.Y.
Coggin Sustainable Office Solutions: Sam Coggin, Director. Preston, UK.
WholeCubes: Joel Stein, Owner. Chicago.
This broad category encompasses major real-estate services companies, established non-profits, and innovative startups, all of whom contribute to circular workplace strategies.
CBRE: Lisa Fulford Roy, Senior Vice President, Client Strategy. Toronto.
Rheaply: Garry Cooper, CEO. Chicago.
Stok: Adam Guli, Director of Integrated Services, Denver.
Cambium Carbon: Theo Hooker, Co-founder and COO. Baltimore.
Quantum Lifecycle: Gary Diamond, President. Toronto.
Human-I-T: Allie Butkiewicz, Senior Vice President, Philanthropy. Long Beach, Calif.
Furniture Bank: Dan Kershaw, Executive Director. Toronto.
A purpose-built circular workplace starts here: With the design firms that begin by considering what’s already available and the construction companies that build without waste.
Cuningham: Gary Miciunas, Associate Principal and Director of Strategy. Denver.
Flat Iron Building Group: Julie Phillips, President + Partner. Toronto.
Gensler: Rives Taylor, Principal, Resilience Research Center and Global Design Resilience. Houston.
Benjamin Holsinger, Associate Product Development Global Resilience Leader. Washington, DC.
M Moser: Chantal Frenette, Director. Toronto.
JLL’s Tétris: Silvia Aranda, Sustainability Client Solutions Director, Madrid.
Industry groups and consultants bring stakeholders together and help underline the fact that
no one office can achieve circularity on its own: We all have to work toward a common goal.
BIFMA: Steve Kooy, Director, Health and Sustainability. Grand Rapids, Mich.
USGBC TRUE Zero Waste: Stephanie Barger, Director, Market Transformation & Development.
Sacramento, Calif.
Lisa Whited, workplace strategist and author of Work Better. Save the Planet: The Earth-First
Workplace is Good for People, Great for Business. Portland, Maine.
Jon Strassner, workplace strategist, climate activist, and podcast host. Hartford, Conn.
“I know circular workplaces can work because I’ve spent my career making them happen. The fact that we now have so many partners in circularity gives me hope that together, we can close the loop.”
Trevor Langdon
CEO
Green Standards
Download the free reports now
The August Roundup: Embodied and underreported
The August Roundup: Embodied and underreported
The July Roundup: Who’s who? You!
The July Roundup: Who’s who? You!
The June Roundup: Carbon conundrums
The June Roundup: Carbon conundrums
The May Roundup: Circularity in Chicago
The May Roundup: Circularity in Chicago
The April Roundup: From Brussels with data
The April Roundup: From Brussels with data
The March Roundup: Reverse office logistics
The March Roundup: Reverse office logistics
The February Roundup: Reframing Circular Business
The February Roundup: Reframing Circular Business
The January Roundup: These clocks don’t stop
The January Roundup: These clocks don’t stop
